Clan Vs Magic
by TVfan
Summary: It's been three years since the Journey, but the arrival of a new villain sets the stage for some dramatic changes in the Clan's life as Goliath and Elisa's marriage approaches. (These are older stories, so I apologize if they aren't super great in advance. They're file transfers from the Gargoyles Fan Website where my pen-name is SN... I've forgotten my password there... )
1. The Changing and The Wedding

All the characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyright Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder. All original characters are the property of SN.

Note: I'm disregarding the events in the "Goliath Chronicles", with the exception of "The Journey" because I do not wish to use the rest of the "Goliath Chronicles" as canon to my story. This story takes place however three years after "The Journey".

The Changing and The Wedding

By SN/TVfan

Email: Sam_Nary

**Castle Wyvern**

David Xanatos stood on the high battlements of Castle Wyvern. He had managed to dodge both Owen and Fox for the time being for a few thoughts to himself. He had come a long way from the man who once attempted to "conquer the world, gain immortality, and kill Goliath and his clan if they got in the way". He couldn't help but smirk that he had now become the man who took the sternest position on defending the gargoyles… well, after Detective Maza at least.

Xanatos looked out over the city, it was calm, peaceful, and quiet, but this disturbed him. The clan hadn't caught "Castaway" yet, and despite Maza's best efforts, the NYPD still didn't consider placing an arrest warrant on him for blowing up the clock tower. Xanatos had been able to foil the attempts by both the Quarrymen and Assistant District Attorney Margot Yale from formally accusing the gargoyles of any crime related to that incident, but both still held some degree of power over the city. Owen had informed him that last night that the clan and Maza had brought in twelve Quarrymen that had attempted to beat a poor kid senseless. He also continued to monitor Yale's activity. Twice she demanded warrants to search Wyvern for the gargoyle clan for "questioning", and twice, the NYPD sent Maza and Bluestone. Either, Maza and Bluestone WERE New York's best detectives, or Ms. Maza's boss knew what Maza was up to, and supported the gargoyles as well.

The one thing that did trouble Xanatos was the upcoming wedding that was to happen tonight. It was coincidently Maza's night off, and after much pestering by both family and clan members, she and the clan leader finally decided to "tie the knot". Now, Xanatos didn't disapprove of Goliath and Maza's love for each other, but he knew there were problems. This calm and peaceful morning was one of them. The Quarrymen held rallies all day, and exercised their leader's insanity at night. Reported Quarrymen attacks on gargoyle supporters were almost as common as reported gargoyle "attacks" on everyone. Castaway was planning something. Xanatos could feel it.

**Quarrymen Headquarters**

A man wearing a silken red robe slowly walked up the stairs to what looked like an average New York apartment building, but he obviously knew that it wasn't. After barely knocking twice, another man, in an outfit that resembled a NAZI storm trooper's except the armband held the Quarrymen insignia, and there wasn't a swastika on him.

"You're late," the storm trooper growled.

The robed man took immediate offense to this statement, "I came here because I was asked to come here by your boss," he snarled back, "I quite frankly don't care what his time tables are, I am merely performing a small favor."

Before the storm trooper could answer, the robed man waved an arm and chanted something in Latin. Jon Castaway, who had just been coming down the stairs, watched the surprised young storm trooper disappear in a flash of light and reappear as a donkey.

"He made an ass out of himself," the robed man snickered.

Castaway chuckled and then held out his arms in greeting, "Hello friend, my organization could use your assistance."

"Indeed," the robed man said, shutting the door.

**Elisa's apartment**

"Mom!" Elisa moaned, "I just got off work a few hours ago! Let me sleep!"

"Come now, my little girl is getting married, and weddings take time to plan!" Mrs. Maza sighed, "If you worked during the day and took today off, you wouldn't have this problem."

Elisa chuckled to herself, "If I worked during the day I wouldn't have met Goliath."

Her mother sighed as Elisa lay back down and pulled the covers over her head. She was about to doze off when they were viciously pulled off.

"I said 'weddings take time to plan'," Mrs. Maza said sternly, "What part of that didn't you understand? Now get dressed! We must go down to shop and pick up your dress."

"Can't you do it?" Elisa moaned again, "The clan isn't making this much fuss over this with Goliath!"

"I am trying to bring some class to your wedding, young lady," Mrs. Maza answered, "Besides, I can't show you off if you aren't there!"

Elisa gave a deep sigh and then buried her face in the pillows.

Outside Elisa's room, Mr. Maza and their youngest daughter Beth were busy sitting on a couch, enjoying some breakfast.

"Jeez, you'd think Elisa didn't want to get married," Beth joked.

Mr. Maza only smiled, "I'm sure she does, but I'm also sure that she'd sooner get married in her work clothes than put on a wedding dress with only twenty minutes sleep."

The returned to their meal as Mrs. Maza came out.

"What are you doing?" Mrs. Maza demanded, "There's a lot of work to be done!"

"Eating," Beth answered with weak smile.

"Diane, why don't you let Elisa sleep for a little while, and have some breakfast with us. From what Elisa has told me, gargoyles aren't real big wedding fans either," Mr. Maza sighed, "Besides, if you keep this pace up, Mrs. Xanatos is going to blow the house up because you're in the way of her plans for the wedding."

Diane Maza was about to answer when Mr. Maza spoke again, "And the shop that has Elisa's dress won't open for another three hours."

**Quarrymen Headquarters**

The robed man in Jon Castaway stood in a large basement facility inside the Quarrymen's headquarters. It looked much like a command center he'd seen in the many science fiction shows he'd seen recently. Before them was some sort of "table" that housed a screen with a map of all of New York City.

"The beasts live here, atop the Eyrie Building," Castaway said pointing to a red dot on the screen. "My sources tell me that their leader is to marry this woman tonight."

The screen's image changed from a map of New York to an image of a woman. Black hair, tan skin, red jacket, black tee-shirt, and blue jeans.

"A gargoyle is marrying a human woman?" the robed man asked with large degree of skepticism, "You do know that when gargoyles choose their wives and husbands, or mates as they like to call them, they only choose other gargoyles."

"The clan's leader isn't the smartest of gargoyles, sir," Castaway snarled, "And, they only choose their own kind because they are no more than beasts! They can't feel real love."

The robed man sighed, "What do you want of this woman?"

He watched Castaway pull a sinister smile over his face, "I want you to perform a similar spell like you did to my doorman on her."

The robed man couldn't help but smile as Castaway leaned forward to explain the rest of his plan.

**Nightstone Unlimited**

"Ms. Destine, please!"

"No, no mutates, Sevarius!" Dominique Destine snarled into her phone, she could hear Doctor Anton Sevarius pacing in his lab.

"But Ms. Destine, you've tried clones, and failed, and you tried a virus that would annihilate all human kind, and failed," the doctor pleaded, "A mutate clan with its added electrical power could easily kill the clan for you!"

"You fail to grasp the fact that Xanatos had you create mutates for the same purpose, and HE failed!" Dominique Destine yelled into phone again, "What I want you to do is to find a way that rids me Macbeth, but leaves me immortal!"

She heard the doctor growl as he hung up. As she herself hung up, she thought to herself, "If you don't do as I say, I'll visit you tonight and you'll learn why Macbeth named me Demona!"

Meanwhile in his lab Sevarius grumbled loudly. The first batch of mutates failed because one of them was Elisa Maza's brother. Now why would it occur to Demona that Derek Maza would blindly listen to Xanatos and ignore his own sister! He new that only mutates could defeat the Wyvern Clan for her. With the gargoyles gone, she would be free to launch whatever genocidal plan she wished! Although Sevarius new that once the gargoyles WERE dead that he would need to change sides, since death was the farthest thing from his mind.

Sevarius also hated Demona's new plan involving Macbeth. From what he was told, there was no possible way to undo the Weird Sisters' spell and leave her immortal. He had told her repeatedly that he could only kill Macbeth's body but leaving his soul alive, and free to posses any living being he so chose to exact his revenge. Now a fight to the death between Demona and Macbeth was actually quite appealing to Sevarius, but he knew that every news station would be drawn to it, and eventually his involvement in everything would be revealed. If this happened Sevarius knew he couldn't turn the entire world into his mutate slaves from prison.

Sevarius plodded along with his formula. If Demona wanted Macbeth dead, then he would give it to her, since despite her naked hatred for humanity, Demona actually paid him quite well. As he worked, Sevarius picked up a phone.

A female answered him.

"What is it boss?"

"Demona has decided to continue with her plans to kill Macbeth; I want you to step up Project: Resurrection!" Sevarius ordered, "I want it done by tomorrow night!"

"Yes sir," the woman replied.

**Downtown Manhattan**

Mrs. Maza practically dragged a still drowsy Elisa along the street.

"Not so fast! I'm still tired, and you wouldn't let me have any coffee!" Elisa demanded.

"I'm sorry dear, but we must hurry, just because the shop is now open, and won't close for several hours, does not mean that we can take our time," Mrs. Maza answered, "There may be dozens of young brides there, and if it takes too long, you'll miss your own wedding, and your father and I will have to stay here till I hear you say, 'I do'."

Elisa moved a bit faster. In the end, the final fitting and picking up the dress, took much less time than Diane Maza hoped, and probably more time than Elisa feared. Elisa couldn't help but feel relieved as they left the shop.

"Okay, are we done now?" Elisa asked, "We have the dress. The Xanatoses have the decorations, Broadway has the food, Hudson will perform the ceremony, and Goliath will be there."

"What about the reception?" Diane demanded.

"I thought that Goliath and I would have a nice glide to ourselves, and skip the reception," Elisa sighed.

"Nonsense!" Mrs. Maza answered, "I'm sure Broadway has a cake prepared, and it's a tradition in every wedding to have a reception. Your father and I had a reception at our wedding. Derek and Maggie had a reception after their wedding…"

"At your insistence," Elisa interrupted.

"Don't back talk young lady."

**Castle Wyvern, Dusk**

Goliath roared loudly as he burst from his stone shell for the night. He looked out from his perch to find things much calmer than they had been over the past few days. He felt glad that things were calm. While he and Elisa did agree that it might be better to solve the problems involving the Quarrymen before marriage, he did feel a great sense of happiness now that tonight, he and the woman he loved would be one, now and forever.

Goliath heard a slight 'ahem' and turned. He was startled not find his love, but Owen standing behind him.

"Good evening Goliath," Owen greeted in his usual monotone.

"What is it, Owen?" Goliath asked, trying to sound polite.

"Mr. Xanatos has requested that you and the clan gather in the main hall now, before the wedding ceremony," Owen answered.

"We must make one quick patrol first, just to make sure everything is safe," Goliath growled.

"Mr. Xanatos has told me to tell you that he believes that the Quarrymen already have something 'big in the works' that would put you all in great danger," Owen said, "He would prefer that you save activities that could get you all killed to nights that aren't supposed to be joyous."

Goliath frowned, to some extent he preferred the old Xanatos, and the new one was not willing the take the sort of risks the old one was.

"Is Elisa here?" Goliath asked.

"No, Detective Maza is not here. Neither are her family, the mutates, or Detective Bluestone. So far, your clan and Mr. Xanatos and his family are the only wedding guests here," Owen answered.

Goliath was about to answer when a great scream reached his ears. It sounded like that of a frightened person, and then changed. Both Goliath and Owen swiftly moved over to the side of the tower to look down. What they saw surprised them more than the sound. There was no one there.

**Eyrie Building Entrance, Dusk**

Elisa felt slightly embarrassed walking down the streets in the dress. Not that it was a bad dress, but for one thing, Elisa just didn't feel comfortable in it and the other, she didn't like the looks that most people were giving her. Her parents were close behind, with Beth along side.

"Everyone is staring at me," Elisa said.

"Let them stare," her mother answered, "You look wonderful, Goliath will be very happy."

"I hope so," Elisa sighed.

Then just as they turned the corner towards the Eyrie Building's main doors, Elisa found herself face to face with a man in a red robe.

"Ah, you must be Detective Maza, I presume?" the man said slyly.

"I am. Who wants to know?" Elisa replied.

The man chuckled, "You don't need to know me, yet. I have a little wedding gift for you though."

Elisa stood paralyzed with fear as the robed man raised his hands and began to chant in Latin. At the end of the chant, emerald green lightning shot from his fingertips and surrounded her. Almost immediately, Elisa felt massive surges of pain wash through her. She and her family could only watch in horror at what happened next. First Elisa watched her hands shift from the five fingered hands of a human being to the four fingered talons of a gargoyle. Her feet extended ripping through the overpriced shoes her mother made her wear. Then the pain got harsher. Elisa screamed in both terror and pain as her organs inside her began to shift and change, and as her spine pushed out to form a tail. She screamed again bones grew and her skin stretched to form her wings, but even before her wings were completely grown, her scream had changed into something that could only be compared to the roar of a lion, tiger, leopard, or jaguar. It had changed into a gargoyle's battle cry.

"What have you done to me?" Elisa gasped looking where the robed man was, but he was already gone.

Elisa looked around and saw that her folks and sister were equally terrified of what just happened, and now even more people were watching.

"Come on! Let's get out of here!" Elisa yelled, and hurried her family into the Eyrie building.

Across the street, hidden from view in an alley, Castaway smiled to himself. He pulled a small device that looked like tape recorder, "Quarrymen mission log, number three-hundred, phase one of Operation Cleanse is complete. The old wizard has completed the spell turning the race traitor Maza into a gargoyle."

Then tapping a small digital camera resting on a cross beam, "And I was able to record her transformation, and her chasing of her own family into the Eyrie building. Everything is going according to plan."

**Great Hall, Castle Wyvern**

"I don't get it Goliath, why are we all here now?" Lexington asked.

"All I know is that Xanatos believes that the Quarrymen have some sort of plan 'in the works'," Goliath answered with a heavy sigh.

"Yeah, and I'll bet that scream you heard was part of it," Brooklyn added, "Why aren't we out looking for those scum bags?"

"Because, Brooklyn, I asked Owen to ask Goliath to bring you here for your own safety," came the voice of David Xanatos behind them, "You must trust me on this. It was too quiet out on the battlements this morning, when Fox and I can normally hear Castaway screaming his hatred for miles."

Goliath turned to face his former nemesis. "That should be taken as good news, perhaps Castaway is losing his grip on his organization."

Xanatos stared into the clan leader's eyes, and said coldly, "Goliath, you and your clan have fought ME before; I can tell when someone is planning something sinister, because I've been there! We all know that Jon Castaway is really Jon Canmore, the only one of the Hunters on the loose! I bet he has some sort of ambush planned for tonight specifically."

"And you would advise my clan to do nothing?" Goliath roared back, "This is our protectorate! We must protect it from those that would do evil! If we do nothing it will only give Castaway the confidence to launch an assault against your building and the clan's castle!"

Xanatos backed off, "Fine. Go out and get yourself killed. I'll just tell Detective Maza that you didn't care enough about her to remain here for the wedding."

That line broke Goliath's last nerve. Despite the fact that Xanatos had kept his word that he would protect the clan, Goliath was continually bothered by Xanatos and Owen providing their "advice" as to how he should run things. He was about to charge when Angela and Broadway held him back.

"Father, I agree with you that we can not simply ignore the Quarrymen's attacks on our kind and those who would help us, and I agree with you that Xanatos has no right to advise you on how to run the clan, but he is trying to protect us!" Angela said.

"Yeah, if he didn't care about what happened to the clan he would have let us go," Broadway added.

"Xanatos makes his moves based on what is best for Xanatos Enterprises," Goliath snarled, "It would be bad for his business if our clan were to be killed outside the Eyrie Building."

"True lad, but 'tis be yer weddin' night," Hudson answered coming into view, with Bronx along side, "It'd make Elisa very happy to see you now."

Xanatos smirked at the whole scene. Angela, Broadway, and Hudson were "defending" him. Although he knew that Angela and Broadway didn't want a fight and Hudson probably had his own reason, they were defending him. Xanatos presumed that the clan wouldn't defend him because of who he was, but then Xanatos didn't really care. He owed a debt to the Wyvern Clan, and he would pay it. No matter what it cost him.

Deciding to try and calm things down a bit, Xanatos stepped forward, "I'm sorry Goliath if my motives do not seem entirely noble, but you must trust me that I am entirely concerned with the clan's safety. I can not pay back my debt to you if you die."

Goliath chuckled slightly at this, "Again with the 'debt thing', eh Xanatos."

Lexington then came up next to Goliath, "Well, if everyone is done fighting, perhaps I could ask, where is Elisa? She should be here by now."

Then behind them they heard a weak voice say, "I'm right here."

**Nightstone Unlimited**

"You're sure this will work?" Demona demanded.

"I'm positive it will work," Sevarius replied with a confident smile, handing Demona the syringe that contained the poison that would kill Macbeth's body.

Demona gave a half chuckle. If Macbeth could be killed without killing her and costing her of her immortality, the clan's actions, Goliath's relationship with that witch Elisa Maza, and everything else that was wrong with the world.

"You'll be paid once Macbeth dies," Demona snarled as she pressed a button that opened the large office windows.

"Where are you going?" Sevarius asked.

"To a wedding," Demona replied with a sinister smile.

**Outside the Labyrinth**

"Claw, is it clear?" Talon asked.

The large tiger mutate nodded. Talon, closely followed by Maggie, pulled himself through the manhole.

"Come on we gotta hurry!" Talon exclaimed, "Goliath and Elisa may already be saying 'I do'!"

The three mutates ran down the alley, and leaped up onto a nearby fire escape. Then after climbing up to the roof, they launched themselves into the sky, and headed directly for Castle Wyvern.

**Castle Wyvern**

Goliath stood dumbstruck at what stood before him. The figures of Diane, Peter, and Beth Maza were all recognizable. What stood in front of them however, was much different. It was a female gargoyle with tan skin and black hair. The outside of her wings were black, while the inside was a reddish shade. On top of all this, this female gargoyle was wearing a white wedding dress, with a few touches of bright yellow.

"I-I-I don't know what to say," he stammered.

"Lass is that you?" Hudson asked.

Elisa nodded, "Yeah, it's me."

Broadway came forward next, "How did this happen? Did Puck do this again?"

Angela blinked, "Again?"

"Before you came here from Avalon, Demona stole Titania's mirror and summoned Puck through it," Goliath explained, "While she had him chained, she made a series of easily ill conceived wishes of Puck."

"Mother wished that Elisa was a gargoyle?"

"No, I think she wanted me dead, but phrased it so poorly that Puck was able to trick her, in the end everything returned to normal," Elisa answered before Goliath could say anything.

"As for this," she explained, pointing to herself, "We were just arriving as the sun set, and some guy in a red robe was standing outside the entrance. He had a hood over his face, and no one saw it. He chanted something that I couldn't make out, so I can't even tell you what language he chanted in, and then poof!"

Goliath stepped forward, and quickly scooped Elisa up into his arms in a strong hug. Suddenly, and almost instinctively, Elisa wrapped her wings around Goliath.

"We will find this man," Goliath rumbled.

An amused chuckle interrupted them, "Perhaps that could wait till after the wedding."

Elisa looked over Goliath's shoulder at Xanatos, as everyone in the room said, "WHAT?"

Xanatos simply shrugged, "Well, we are here for a wedding, are we not? Besides, this will give Goliath and the Detective apparently another short time together as the same species."

Elisa looked back at Goliath. He looked both jubilant and reluctant all at the same time. Looking into his eyes, Elisa saw it.

Goliath released her from his embrace, and said, "It is your decision, my love."

With that, tears suddenly came to Elisa's eyes and she ran from the room. Her parents and sister moved to chase after her.

"Elisa!"

**New 23rd Precinct Headquarters**

Matt Bluestone was just packing up his brief case when Castaway entered the office.

"Watch it mister, I know why you're here," Bluestone snarled at him.

"If you know that I'm interested in saving our species from being murdered in the night by these demons that haunt us, than why do you behave so aggressively toward me?" Castaway replied with an all too confident grin, "Instead of giving me the hero worship I rightfully deserve."

As Castaway walked into Captain Chavez's office, Matt thought to himself, "Yeah, you deserve hero worship as much as Demona deserves to be the uncontested ruler of the world. You're both assholes!"

"What do you want?" Chavez asked as Castaway came in.

"I've come again to show you that these demons are not to be trusted!" Castaway exclaimed.

He pulled a small camera from one of his jacket pockets and placed it on Chavez's desk. After opening the display screen Castaway pressed the play button. What followed caught Maria Chavez completely by surprise. It was what appeared to be Detective Maza and her family walking along a street outside the Eyrie Building. She then suddenly stopped, wrapped herself in green light, and changed into a gargoyle. She then chased her family into the Eyrie Building.

Castaway watched Chavez's reaction with hidden pleasure. The tape he was showing had been edited, so that what Chavez was actually watching was actually two separate recordings. One was Maza's transformation. The other was Maza 'chasing' her family. What Castaway had conveniently edited out was the scenes involving the red robed man.

"I'm afraid one of your detectives is really one of gargoyle demons, one of my agents filmed this while spreading pamphlets at my instruction. I don't know the fate of the family that she attacked," Castaway sighed.

"And I'm afraid twelve of your men were dropped off at the 19th precinct and a little boy claims that they attacked him!" Chavez answered, "I refuse to believe that Elisa Maza is a gargoyle and that she attacked her own family."

"I can not be held responsible for the actions of my men when my do such barbaric things against my orders," Castaway sighed, "My men are to educate the people of this city to realize that these gargoyles are no more than threats to the entire human race. It is not my fault if some of the people take the human race's safety into their own hands."

"You could also tell your men that I will not order the New York Police Department to go out and arrest gargoyles, because some members of your organization go around half-cocked!" Chavez growled back.

"Very well then," Castaway nodded, picked up his camera and left.

Chavez had responded exactly as he expected, as a by the book cop who didn't see anything visibly wrong. But, she did look concerned at the notion that Elisa Maza suddenly changed into a gargoyle. He had to make one more stop before he would come back here.

**Castle Wyvern**

Mister and Missus Maza found Elisa four rooms away. She was slumped in a chair looking out of a window. Her new wings were drooping lazily.

"Elisa?" Diane asked.

"I was hurting him mom!" Elisa sobbed, "I know it! Secretly I'm sure that Goliath is to some extent HAPPY that I'm currently a gargoyle, but he loves me too much to force me to stay this way, and he knows that I want to return to my human life, and if that means becoming human again, so be it. But that hurt Goliath! Oh, I've hurt the one man I that I want to be with! I hurt him! I hurt him!"

Elisa continued to sob the words out as Diane and Peter came in.

"Elisa, Goliath looks that you could beat him over the head with this whole castle and still not hurt him," Peter said, "I'm sure the only reason he feels happy about you being a gargoyle is because he is a gargoyle."

"And as much as I hate to say this, David Xanatos is correct, we did come here for a wedding," Diane chimed in, "Maybe you could tell him that you're willing to be a gargoyle for the ceremony and until we catch the robed man."

"He won't want me; he won't be with someone who hurts him," Elisa sobbed again, "That's why he isn't with Demona."

"You did not harm me, my love," came a low rumbling voice.

Elisa looked up, tears rolling down her face. Goliath was now standing in the doorway. Her parents looked at him.

"Elisa, I know that my feelings are…I guess shallow is the correct word, but you must not believe that you are responsible for them," Goliath sighed, "If you wish to return to your human form before we have our wedding, than I will see to it that everything within my power is done to that end."

Goliath put his hand under her chin, "I would do this because I love you. And always remember that I would not love you any less if you were human and not a gargoyle."

Elisa put on a weak smile, "Really?"

"Of coarse my love, when we met you were a human, and when we first kissed you were a human," Goliath answered, "Do not use a man's use of sorcery to trick you into thinking that I would prefer you to be a gargoyle."

Elisa stood up, "But you do think I look stunning like this don't you?"

Goliath blushed a little, "Yes, your parents have picked out a very nice dress, but it's not exactly what I'm used to."

"Yeah I like my work clothes too," Elisa added while simultaneously smacking the back of his head slightly.

"If you two are through flirting," Diane growled, "I would like to see you get married now."

Elisa took Goliath's arm and then followed Diane and Peter back toward the great hall.

"Auntie 'Lisa's a gargoyle?" young Alex asked.

"For now anyway," Lex answered patting the toddler's head.

"David, how did this happen?" Fox demanded.

"All we know is that some guy in robes did this to her with magic, and since Puck has denied any knowledge of the event, I don't know anything else," Xanatos answered.

A few slight thumps were heard as the group turned to see that Talon and the mutates had finally arrived.

"Don't tell me we missed the entire ceremony?" Talon asked.

"No," came Elisa's voice.

When Talon looked over in her direction, he and his fellow mutates did a massive double take.

"A man in red robes did this to me, we don't know anything else," Elisa said calmly, "Goliath and I have decided to have the ceremony first, and we'll deal with him later."

Talon shrugged, and escorted Maggie to a seat as the clan, the Xanatos family, Diane and Peter Maza, and Owen Burnett scrambled for their respective positions.

Demona landed on the high battlements of Castle Wyvern. She had seen that Xanatos and his family were in the Great Hall with the mutates and the clan. Even Burnett was there.

"What a lovely lapse in security," Demona thought to herself, "Not that Xanatos's security would present me with much of a challenge."

Hudson stood on a raised platform above Goliath and Elisa, who stood in front of him. The chairs were arranged in a half-circle around them. From right to left it went Peter and Diane Maza, Talon and Maggie, Beth Maza, Angela and Broadway, Lexington and Alex Xanatos in his lap, Brooklyn, Claw idly patting Bronx's head, David and Fox Xanatos, and finally Owen Burnett, whose stern face made the joyous event look like a funeral.

"Smile," Xanatos said, elbowing Owen.

Owen ignored him.

"Friends and clan members," Hudson began, "We're gathered 'ere today to join Goliath with Elisa Maza. Male warriors of the clan must be wise in choosing their females, for that female will always be his closest aide and friend."

Hudson then looked at Goliath, "Goliath, lad, do ye acknowledge the responsibilities of holding this female as yer mate?"

"Yes," Goliath answered, "I solemnly declare that I love her with all my heart."

Hudson returned his gaze to audience, "A female must also choose wisely, for the male will be 'er guardian and friend."

Then looking to Elisa, Hudson said "Lass, do ye accept the realities of choosing this male as yer mate?"

"Yes, I agree," Elisa answered, and then added, "Goliath has always been their catch me, even from the beginning."

Hudson then watched as Elisa took Goliath's wing talon in her three.

"Does anyone present object to this marriage?" Hudson asked.

No one said anything.

Hudson then continued, "Well then, in the eyes of this clan and all present, these two are one, now and forever. Goliath, you may kiss yer mate."

They did, each wrapping their wings around each other. Diane Maza looked over to her husband. She took his hand smiling, remembering their wedding.

"I promised myself I wasn't going to cry," Peter grunted.

"Hush now," Diane answered.

Just then suddenly the doors of the great hall were shattered as Demona was thrown through it by a Steel Clan robot. Demona got up quickly and met the mechanical copy of Goliath head on, tearing first the arms and then the head from the body.

"Why Demona, if I'd known you wanted to see the wedding, I would have had Hudson wait a little longer!" Xanatos smirked.

Demona whirled around to face the billionaire. She had come here to declare her objections to Goliath marrying Elisa, and thereby condemn them both to being single by the clan's rules. What she saw perplexed her however. Before her, Goliath was embracing a female gargoyle. A female gargoyle that looked remarkably like Elisa Maza.

As soon as Elisa looked up to see Demona, her eyes quickly began blazing with a bright red light. Most of the clan was too stunned to do anything, and those who weren't stunned simply watched the two females stare at each other. Both Elisa's and Demona's eyes were shinning bright red.

"How?" Demona growled.

"Man in a red robe, probably a friend of yours," Elisa growled back.

"Why?" Elisa growled again.

"To object to this wedding," Demona replied with a snarl.

The two females began to step toward each other. Brooklyn had now got up and was preparing to turn on Demona. Goliath quickly grabbed Elisa, holding her back, as Claw and Broadway rushed to do the same to Brooklyn. Demona then lunged with all her might to hit Elisa.

"Oh no you don't," Xanatos sighed, and then karate chopped the back of Demona's head.

The red maned gargoyle fell to the floor. As she moved to get up, Hudson had moved around and placed a heavy foot on her back.

"Ye be too late fer that lass," Hudson said calmly, "Goliath and Elisa have been recognized as mates."

He released Demona and stood up she looked greatly depressed and angry.

"I'll be back," she snarled, and then departed through one of the great hall's windows.

"We'll be waiting," Elisa growled.

It took awhile to sort out Demona's appearance, but it was generally decided that her jealousy was to blame, and that no real plot was afoot. Once that was all done, everyone was seated a very large table, with Elisa and Goliath in the center. This was Diane Maza's reception for Elisa and Goliath.

"Well, again, accept for Demona," Broadway said, pausing to down another slice of cake, "I thought it was a lovely ceremony."

"Yes Father, you and Elisa look wonderful together," Angela added.

Goliath smiled, "Thank you."

Elisa had barely touched her food. She merely gripped Goliath's arm and refused to let go.

"Hey, Earth to Elisa," Beth called, tugging on one of Elisa's wings, "How are you feeling?"

Elisa smiled, "I'm fine, but you'd best watch yourself sis, you're the ONLY unmarried Maza now, you have mom all to yourself."

Beth gulped. Peter chuckled.

Diane Maza decided not to let the situation get the better of her, said, "Nonsense, you and Derek are yet to produce grandchildren."

Laughter echoed throughout Wyvern's walls. Owen then came in with a wrapped box in his arms.

"For you, Ms. Maza," he said, handing it to Elisa.

Elisa glared at Xanatos, who shrugged, and backed away slightly. As she opened it, she saw that Owen had collected for her clothes. Essentially it was a two piece ensemble, a black tee-shirt with special holes for her wings and a light blue denim loin cloth with a brown leather belt.

"I took the liberty of gathering some attire more suitable for a gargoyle, since you may not catch your attacker tonight," Owen said dryly.

Elisa shrugged, "Strangely, right now, I don't really care about the rest of tonight, I'm sure we can worry about this man tomorrow. I actually have the whole week off, and it's not like a court is going to put a man in jail for turning me into a gargoyle."

"As you wish," Owen answered.

**Quarrymen Headquarters**

Castaway found his wizard waiting for him when he returned to the Quarrymen headquarters.

"So how did it go?" the robed man asked.

"Exactly as I planned," Castaway grinned, "Chavez won't betray her friends, but she did look perplexed as to why one of her detectives turned into a gargoyle."

"You're sure that I wasn't seen on that tape?" the robed man demanded, "I have plans for this city, and being in jail isn't one of them."

"Yes, and I suppose you want your payment now for helping me?" Castaway inquired.

The robed man chuckled, "Yes, but I don't think you'll view what I want you to do as 'payment'!"

**Macbeth's Mansion**

Macbeth lounged in an easy chair watching the fire glow in front of him. He had an unmarked bottle with him, undoubtedly some form of liquor, and his thoughts dwelled upon his wife. He missed her dearly, and the news of Goliath and Elisa's wedding only made it worse.

"My love, I know you're out there in a better place than I am here…" Macbeth sighed, "Maybe I should end it all and force the final fight with Demona…But then, what will happen then? Will I die, or just lose immortality?"

He then stood up and yelled, "Argh! I just wish I could leave all my troubles behind!"

"Be careful what you wish for," came a snarling voice from above him as Demona crashed through the glass windows.

**Over New York**

"I missed this, I admit," Elisa whispered.

"You are beautiful, my love," Goliath answered with a smile.

Talon and Broadway were close behind.

"Are they going to flirt the whole way, or is that an act?" Talon asked with a mischievous smile.

"Were you any different when you and Maggie were first married?" Broadway grinned back.

"No," Talon answered with a sigh.

"Goliath we should head back to the castle! It's getting close to dawn!" Broadway shouted.

Goliath sighed, and looked down at Elisa. She was gliding fairly well, considering this was only her second attempt, but she still clutched on to Goliath's arm. He had already decided to make the best of this while it lasted. Elisa was beautiful in both her human form and in her current one. He knew that Elisa would wish to return to her job when her 'wedding leave' was up, and that she couldn't do that if she were a gargoyle. It pained him that she couldn't have it both ways. Somehow, Goliath knew that if there was a way that Elisa could be both a gargoyle and a cop at the same time, she would take it; he knew that she loved him that much. But Goliath remembered that that couldn't happen, and that he loved her too demand that she stay in this current form.

"Broadway is right Elisa, we should return," Goliath sighed, "We can continue hunting for this robed man tomorrow night."

Elisa nodded.

Peter and Diane were standing on the battlements as the gargoyles returned. All looked somewhat discouraged.

"No sign of him?" Diane asked reaching her arm out to the red skinned Brooklyn.

Brooklyn frowned, "No sign ma'am, but Goliath's group isn't back yet, maybe they had better luck, and now I- uh- I must get to my perch."

Brooklyn walked off with his head low. Goliath and Elisa came up quickly and landed right next to them.

"We didn't find him either," Goliath said, his tail twitched nervously.

"Goliath, Elisa, if you two are enjoying yourselves like this, maybe you shouldn't be afraid to tell us," Peter said stepping forward, "I mean you just did get married, you are entitled to a little happiness every now and then."

Elisa opened her mouth to say something, but as she did, the sun rose and both gargoyles turned to stone. Diane took Peter's hand. They stood there for awhile, looking first at Goliath and Elisa, then at the rest of the clan on the tower above them.

"Troubled Mister and Missus Maza?" came Owen Burnett's voice behind them.

"No, we're fine," Diane replied, "but why do the gargoyles look depressed, I mean they just saw a wedding, and it's not like my daughter was killed or anything?"

Owen shifted the glasses on his face, "Your daughter was considered part of the clan long before the wedding because of her close association with them. Therefore the clan will indirectly view you and your other daughter and son as part of their clan as well. They all know that Detective Maza would wish to return to the police force, they know its importance to her. They also sense that you and your family to some extent would prefer her to be human. Since the clan takes the feelings of all of its members into account, they would do anything and everything possible to return your daughter to her human form, especially since they know that there is no other available compromise."

"They don't have their own opinion?" Peter asked.

"They all have their own opinions of what should be done about the situation, but the clan will compromise their opinions to do what the clan thinks is right," Owen replied, "Now, Mr. Xanatos has given you and your daughter permission to remain here for the day if you wish to do so. I can also call a cab for you if I can be of assistance."

"That would be good," Diane sighed, "I think I need to lie down."

**District Attorney's Office**

Margot Yale yawned greatly as she strode to her chair. She had finally made District Attorney last month, and she had decided that now was the time to step up her methods in dealing with these gargoyles. In her mind they were no more than animals. She disagreed with the Quarrymen who wanted them dead, but she also disagreed with Xanatos Enterprises and Macbeth who kept insisting that the gargoyles were simply 'concerned citizens with wings'.

She had just set her briefcase on the desk when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," she said coldly.

Jon Castaway entered. He was wearing a blue business suit, but each button carried the Quarrymen insignia. In his hand was a small camera.

"Some of my men recorded some gargoyle related criminal activity for you," Castaway said calmly.

He placed the camera on her desk, on top of her brief case.

"You want me to look at this now?" Yale asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It is of the greatest importance," Castaway replied, sitting down in one of the two chairs opposite her desk.

Yale sighed, "Very well…"

Castaway watched Yale's reaction to the tape. Unlike Chavez who looked confused, Yale looked like she was ready to attack someone.

"That's…?"

"Elisa Maza, NYPD, Detective Second Class," Castaway answered.

"She…?"

"We don't know how, but she's probably used sorcery to hide her true nature for quite some time," Castaway answered again.

"Who…?"

"We don't know who it was she attacked, but we only had a few men there handing out pamphlets," Castaway answered for a third time, "They would have been no match for a gargoyle, and I'm certain that the she killed those people that she attacked."

Yale glared at the camera and then at Castaway.

"I'll get another search and interrogation warrant for these gargoyles and Maza, the NYPD will be at the Eyrie Building by noon," Yale said coldly, "Is that all?"

"Just one more thing," Castaway said, "I have evidence that certain members of the NYPD are actually supporters of these demons or at least of Maza. Both Maza and another detective, Matthew Bluestone, searched the Eyrie Building for the gargoyles the last time you tried this. We believe that Bluestone may either be another demon in disguise, or a gargoyle sympathizer. The captain, Maria Chavez, by our investigations is also a person of uncontested trust. She would never betray those she considers friends or the word of those friends. We believe that Chavez is supportive of both Bluestone and Maza, and will not hurt their relationship with these demons."

"You're saying that three cops, one of which has been a gargoyle in disguise all along, are obstructing justice?" Yale asked.

"Precisely, I would also suggest that you ask the mayor to allow the Quarrymen a special militia privilege to go into the Eyrie Building, up to Castle Wyvern and capture or destroy any of these demons before they do something dangerous to the city," Castaway said with a sinister smile, "You can deal with Bluestone and Chavez how you see fit."

"I want your evidence by noon before I do anything," Yale answered without blinking.

As Castaway left the room, he put on a very visible smile. The plan was working. The plan was almost even ahead of schedule.

**Castle Wyvern, Dusk**

Small cracks began to appear in the gargoyle statues that lined Castle Wyvern's towers and two on the battlements. As the sun slid out of view bring on the night, the gargoyles broke free of their stone shells with great roars. To Elisa, this was a new experience. The awakening was sudden and quick. She was in fact even frightened by one of the roars she heard.

Clamping one hand over her mouth, she asked, "Was that…me?"

Goliath stretched and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Are you frightened of yourself now Elisa?"

Elisa looked back at the gargoyle she took as a mate the night before. He looked sad.

"No, surprised more than anything," Elisa answered, "I didn't think I could do that."

"All gargoyles can roar, Elisa, yours is the most beautiful I've ever heard," Goliath said with a weak but comforting smile.

Elisa smiled back.

"Come," Goliath said more sternly this time, "Perhaps Xanatos has found something."

Elisa nodded, and followed Goliath into the Castle. Talon and Maggie were still there, though both looked noticeably uneasy. Maggie was about to say something when Xanatos, Owen, and Fox entered. Owen was carrying some sort of hologromatic projector. He placed it on the floor.

"Was this the man you saw?" Owen asked, activating the projector.

Immediately there was an image of the red robed man there. Upon looking at it, Elisa and Goliath's eyes both lit up with visible signs of anger.

"Yes," Elisa growled.

Owen sighed and readjusted his glasses, "From Xanatos Enterprises's computers on both mystical and other files, we have determined that only three men have the magical power to do this. One is the Archmage, but he died in his quest to conquer Avalon. Another is the Magus, but he died fighting the Archmage. The last and therefore the most likely, is the most dangerous. A man only known as Mage, or Magic. Some have even called him the Wizard. No one knows his true name however, and it is theorized that he wrote the Grimorium Arcanorum and trained the Archmage."

"The Archmage had a tutor?" Elisa asked.

Owen gave a very un-Owen like chuckle, "Not only is it possible Detective, it is necessary. You didn't assume that the mortal Archmage was born with his knowledge do you?"

"Then how is 'Mage' alive, if he is the Archmage's teacher?" Goliath growled.

"I can not tell, since Oberon weakened my power as Puck, I can not sense his power, although the Grimorium Arcanorum possessed thousands of different mortal spells, and a few fey spells that could done by a human or gargoyle. There may have been an immortality spell among them."

Xanatos watched both Goliath and Elisa growl at the image.

"There is another solution to finding out for sure who this guy is," Xanatos said confidently, "We give Oberon and Titania a call."

The two present mutates joined the gargoyles in their growling.

"The fey should not be brought into this," Goliath warned, "Oberon may take your invitation as an opportunity to take your son or destroy my clan."

"And if we don't, Elisa may end up a gargoyle forever," Fox countered, "I don't think we have that choice."

"Fine," Goliath sighed, "Call your mother, Elisa and I will look to our clan, and keep your son hidden!"

"Maggie and I better get back to the Labyrinth. Claw probably has his hands full, and who knows, maybe this guy is running around in the sewers," Talon said, "And I've had enough of this place."

Xanatos watched Goliath and Elisa leave, and then Talon and Maggie. He sighed heavily. The mutates still didn't trust him, but then, considering what he had done to them, Xanatos didn't blame them.

Fox put her arm around him, "Don't worry, Owen will find a cure for them someday."

"The cure isn't what's depressing me," Xanatos sighed, "It's the fact that I made them that way in the first place. If I'd been smarter or more humane, they wouldn't have to hide in the sewers like rats!"

"Excuse me Mr. Xanatos, Mrs. Xanatos, there is much we need to do before summoning Oberon and Titania," Owen said coldly.

**Matt Bluestone's Apartment**

The knocking on his door became harder. It only made Bluestone more upset that he was late for work.

"We know you're in there!" someone yelled.

Wrapping a towel around himself Bluestone shuffled from the bathroom to his front door. Standing outside were three uniformed officers.

"Bluestone, we have a warrant for your arrest," the lead officer said.

"O-on wh-wha-what charge?" Matt stammered.

"Obstruction of justice," the lead office said again before forcing cuffs on to his wrists, "You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

Matt Bluestone never thought this would ever happen to him. The officers only gave him enough time to put on a pair of boxer shorts before dragging him down to the squad car at the side of the street. Throughout the entire ride the officers in front of him were silent. He was dragged up the stairs of the new 23rd Precinct headquarters, and promptly thrown in one of the holding cells. To his astonishment, Captain Chavez and Officer Morgan were in there as well.

"What's going on?" Matt asked.

Chavez sighed putting one hand on her head, "Yale has us all here because we didn't arrest the entire gargoyle clan when she had made her earlier attempts to have them arrested, and since I sent you and Elisa every time, she believes we didn't want to investigate her will."

"But the warrants she had on the gargoyles were merely for questioning!" Matt exclaimed, "We did ask them the questions that Yale would have expected."

"Yes, but in theory, even if you just want to question someone, if you go by the book, you must arrest the person and bring them to the station," Chavez answered, "Yale knows that, and she expected us to do that."

"But why is she doing this to us?" Matt demanded.

"Jon Castaway showed up at her office this morning, and presented her with evidence that we didn't follow her warrants 'by the book' and she had you and me arrested for obstructing justice, and Morgan here was arrested for refusing to arrest us," Chavez sighed, "And from what she told me, when she showed up here, is that she's contacted the mayor and city council. The Quarrymen are now an official city agency with full legal right to do as they please with any gargoyle they find."

"So cops don't cut it anymore!" Matt yelled, "Yale probably thinks that Castaway will follow the same rules we do! I bet that whatever warrant Yale gives to him to serve won't mean squat to him, he'll throw it away and then kill the gargoyles easily."

"I know Matt," Chavez sighed, "I know. From what you and Maza have told me, these gargoyles are quite kind hearted individuals, nothing like what Yale and Castaway call them."

Morgan then spoke up, "Maybe we should have deputized them the instant that they appeared. The 'Gargoyles Task Force' idea only seemed to support the Quarrymen's cause."

"You're right Morgan," Chavez answered, "We should have deputized them, but we can't do a damn thing now."

**Nightstone Unlimited, Sevarius's Lab**

Sevarius hustled between two tables he set up in his lab. Demona was off, probably plotting humanity's destruction. On one table was the robotic form of Coldsteel. Sevarius was surprised to say the least when the robot landed before him one night and demanded his help. Apparently the evil robot gargoyle had been on the run from Coldfire and Coldstone, and got the tar beat out of him. Sevarius had secretly worked with both Nightstone Unlimited and Cyberbiotics agents to build a new robot body for him, one that would hopefully make Coldsteel superior to the other cyborg/robot gargoyles of the world. Unfortunately for him, Coldsteel had also failed to realize that Sevarius was not a man to be easily trusted. Sevarius chuckled at the currently offline robot. When it awoke he would find himself Sevarius's personal slave.

It was the other figure that Sevarius was most interested in however. Under a large white sheet was the main part of Project: Resurrection. Sevarius had plans to use this creature against Demona and if need be, the other gargoyles. He was about to place a special mind control device into his new experiment when a blue light suddenly entered the lab.

"What is this?" Sevarius yelled.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" a voice answered, as a flying blue orb entered Sevarius's new experiment.

A few seconds later, the figure under the white sheet began to move.

**Quarrymen Headquarters**

Castaway was in a private room. He was also highly jubilant.

"Yes! I've won!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, "Those freaks won't stand a chance now! Now that the Quarrymen are and "official" agency of city government, there is nothing that Xanatos or Dominique Destine can do to stop me from killing all of those gargoyle demons, their supporters, and anyone else who gets in my way!"

"Be careful mister Castaway, not everyone who will oppose you is within New York's jurisdiction," came a voice from behind, "I know of some places in this world in which gargoyles actually enjoy a very good life."

Castaway turned to face the red robed man. The man was beginning to become annoying.

"True, but then, those demons have corrupted the society!" Castaway answered with an obvious smile, "But, with my new found power here, I can easily destroy the demons that live here and move on from there."

"So when are you going to carry out your part of our deal?" the robed man asked.

"Just after the sun rises!" Castaway exclaimed, "The Demon has found some way to disguise herself as a human during the daytime. My men and I will find and destroy her while in her human form."

"I will remind you Castaway that Demona is immortal, you can't kill her!" the robed man warned.

Castaway chuckled, "We'll see how immortal she is when she's nothing but a head on top of a pike!"

**Castle Wyvern**

Xanatos, Fox, and Owen stood in the form of a triangle. A mirror lay at their feet, equal distant from each of them. A long series of candles were drawn out in a great circle around them. Each person also held a small pure white feather.

Fox raised her arm over the mirror and held the feather out. Then Xanatos and Owen did the same.

As Owen put his feather over the mirror, all three in unison, chanted in Latin, "With these feathers and this mirror, we summon Oberon and Titania. King and Queen of the Third Race. King and Queen of Avalon."

They then let go of the feathers. They fell slowly, but they did not fall the way feathers normally fall. They just went strait down. Strait onto the mirror. As the feathers made contact with the glass, emerald green rings began emanating from the mirror, and increasing in size the further they got from the mirror. After a few seconds a flash of blinding emerald light blasted the three people clear of the area.

When Xanatos finally opened his eyes and was able to see, he saw the tall powerful looking figure of the blue-skinned Oberon and beside him, the green-skinned Titania.

"WHO DARES SUMMON US?" Oberon demanded in a godlike voice.

"Come now, you should know us," Xanatos said with smirk, "You did after all try to abduct my son."

Oberon looked down at him, "Yes, and you were wise to wear your Iron Steel Clan Armor, Xanatos, or I would turn you into a toad here and now."

"King Oberon, we didn't summon you here to insult you or to be insulted," Fox said sternly, "We actually need your help."

Titania left Oberon's side to look Fox in the eye.

"And what is troubling you, my daughter?" Titania asked, "Has someone attacked Alexander that Puck could not stop?"

Fox looked down, "Not yet, but someone has done something to a friend of the gargoyle clan that we think that only you two could identify."

"The matters of the Wyvern Clan are of no concern," Oberon said coldly, "The only gargoyle clan in my mind that even deserves to live is Avalon's Honor Guard."

"King Oberon, Queen Titania," Owen said, before disappearing in a flash of light and then reappearing as Puck, "the Wyvern Clan helps me protect Alexander, it would be awfully bad if they were to lose heart!"

Oberon growled slightly, "What is the nature of your problem; we will not stay here all night."

Xanatos stepped forward, "We believe a wizard called The Mage transformed Detective Elisa Maza into a gargoyle."

"But we aren't certain," Puck added, "And since I'm conveniently 'chained' to Alex, I can't confirm it!"

"You wish us to identify the Mage?" Titania asked glaring at Puck.

"If you want, I can through a cup of tea in with it!" Puck joked.

By now Oberon was pacing and ignoring both his wife, his trickster of a child, and the Xanatoses.

"We will need to see Ms. Maza first before we can confirm to you that it was the Mage who did this to her," Oberon growled, "She will be brought before me."

Xanatos watched Oberon leave the room in the direction of Wyvern's old throne room where Prince Malcolm and Princess Katherine once held court.

"I wish to see my grandson," Titania added, before following Oberon.

"Well, that went better than anticipated," Xanatos said, "He didn't attack us."

"Yeah, you'd better get Maza," Puck said floating up to him, "Or learn how to kiss Oberon's boots!"

Elisa sat on what was normally Goliath's perch up on the tower. The clan was very uneasy with the announcement that the Xanatoses were going to summon Oberon and Titania to the castle. Hudson even commented that even if a fey at full strength was needed, Oberon AND Titania was overkill. The whole clan agreed that now mortal human or gargoyle wizard could ever match a Child of Oberon.

Goliath came up behind her.

"You seem nervous, my love," Goliath said.

"I am," Elisa admitted, "From what you told me, when you saved young Alex from Oberon, you, the clan, and Xanatos and his family nearly died in the process, and Puck pretty much lost his power."

"I don't believe Xanatos would summon Oberon here to fight," Goliath sighed, "Even at his worst, Xanatos is no idiot."

"Quite right, Goliath. Quite right," Xanatos said, flying up in his solid iron exo-frame, "Oberon says he needs the detective in order to tell if it was the Mage who did this to her."

"I don't trust him," Elisa said.

"I don't trust him either, detective, but we have no choice!" Xanatos sighed back, "The sooner we figure out exactly who did this to you, the sooner we can stop him, and the sooner things can become peaceful once more."

Elisa looked up at Goliath and then said, "I want Goliath to come with me."

"Doesn't bother me," Xanatos replied.

**Nightstone Unlimited**

Demona paced her office repeatedly. If anyone was there, they could have easily sensed her anger. Her thoughts dwelled upon what she saw the last night. Elisa Maza in a gargoyle form again! And being acknowledged as Goliath's mate! This angered her even more. She remembered a line Puck and once said to her.

'How quaint, after all these years, you're still carrying a torch. Well if that's what you want I can make him love you again. Piece of cake, given your charming personality.'

That hit her like a ton of bricks. Despite all their animosities, Demona was finding more and more that she still in some form or another wanted Goliath back. She wanted him back at her side. Back as her mate. But now that was impossible. He and Maza were acknowledged as mates. He would never come back to her, at least not while Maza was alive. The thought of Maza infuriated her and she roared in anger.

"That woman simply refuses to die!" Demona yelled.

"Speak for yourself witch!" said someone with Macbeth's voice from behind her.

"Who…," she started to say as she turned to look at whoever said this, and then opened her eyes wide in fear, because she saw someone she thought was long dead.

**Castle Wyvern**

"Her mate was not required to come," Oberon said coldly, sitting on a golden throne that he had conjured up.

"She wanted her mate to come with her," Xanatos answered for her, "You aren't frightened by a lavender gargoyle, are you?"

Oberon stood up, "No."

Oberon circled Elisa several times. He eyed her like a hawk. Elisa repeatedly looked from Oberon to Goliath to Titania, who was seated in another golden throne. She could feel Goliath getting nervous as Oberon continued to circle her. She couldn't blame him. She felt like a fish in the middle of a pack of sharks.

"Yes," Oberon said at last, "The Mage did do this."

Oberon then looked over at Puck, who floated next to Xanatos a few feet away, "And he did fairly good job for a mortal."

"Is it reversible?" Goliath asked.

Oberon didn't say anything. Titania stood up from her chair, "Human spells are not as sophisticated as fey spells. Unfortunately for Detective Maza's former life, it is unlikely that the spell used would have a counter spell. Especially since when the Mage wrote the Grimorium Arcanorum, he did not put counter spells for any of the book's transformation spells. That is why Demona, The Magus, and Archmage never used such spells. But the Mage is different."

"How is the Mage different? Who is he anyway?" Elisa asked.

Oberon turned to face her directly, "The Mage is quite possibly the only true immortal human on earth, Ms. Maza. But even the fey are uncertain of that. We do know that his career as a wizard began with the founding of Rome. He helped Romulus secure the cities defenses against would be attackers. Around the time of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, at the Emperor's behest, he wrote down all of his spells in the Grimorium Arcanorum, so that the entire world's magic could be controlled by the Imperial Government so that the people could be protected from using it accidentally. However the Mage was never one to fully submit to anyone, and he detested the fact that the people of Rome supported the politicians and generals and not him. He did not put all of his spells into the book, we on Avalon know that. We also made sure that he didn't use his power against his people. But, as the Empire declined, he grew even more sinister. He hates anything connected to magic that isn't his own. This is partially why Titania and I are helping right now. The Mage made several attempts to kill the entire Third Race, so that he could turn his eyes to the mortal realm. Though for a 'mortal' his power is great, but it is still not great enough to be a match for the entire Third Race. Still he had some success. He did kill three dozen halflings and two of my children. When I banished the Third Race from Avalon, his attacks subsided, believing that it would be easier to run a covert operation to wipe out the rest of my children, one by one. However, their ease of escape always angered him, and some went to places he couldn't get to. Titania and I were able to blind him to the knowledge that the gathering was occurring. He still thinks that the Third Race is banished to the mortal realm and is searching for them. There are some rumors that he also founded the Illuminati society to aide him in his hunt, but we have not been able to confirm this."

Elisa blinked at this. A man who wrote the Grimorium Arcanorum, trained the Archmage, and existed since the founding of the city of Rome.

"You'll have to forgive me, Oberon, but don't us mere mortals need to use something to channel magical energy?" Elisa asked.

The fey king chuckled, "The Mage is the one who began that. He is the only human who can channel magic himself. Even we don't know how he does that."

"So I'm a gargoyle forever?" Elisa asked again.

"Probably," said Oberon looking somewhat perplexed, "but as Titania said before, the Mage is different. The spell he used may have a counter spell that he simply didn't write down. But I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you."

Elisa ran from the room. Tears beginning to form in her eyes. Goliath ran after, paused briefly to glare angrily at Oberon and then left.

"My liege, my husband," Titania said, "What could the Mage have to gain against us by turning Detective Maza into a gargoyle."

"I don't think that this is part of his vendetta," Oberon replied, "I think he has performed a favor for someone that has his own agenda, and doesn't know what he's gotten himself into."

**23rd Precinct Holding Cells**

Matt sat on one of the cell's benches, and shivered noticeably. He was still only in his boxer shorts, and no one had brought him anything else to wear.

"Captain, we gotta get out of here!" he said, "Yale doesn't know what Castaway will do, and I'm not entirely sure she cares what Castaway will do. We need to warn the clan."

"And how far will we get?" Chavez sighed, "There's one officer at each end of the hall of cells here, and others outside in the offices! Even if we could get out of these cells, one or more of those officers would catch us! Besides you're practically naked, and we did obstruct justice."

"But it was for the clan's protection," Matt answered, becoming noticeably upset, "The Quarrymen would have been protesting outside for days on end, and there was no formal crime to arrest them on. If we brought them in, even just for questioning it would have made it seem like the gargoyles really did blow up the old clock tower."

"What about a phone call," Morgan offered, "Did you make your one phone call yet?"

Then the only word Matt could think of was, "bingo!"

**Diane and Peter Maza's Apartment**

Diane Maza stood silently looking out of a window over her kitchen sink. The window just happened to be facing the outline of the tall Eyrie Building. Tears were in her eyes.

"Come on, Diane, dinner's getting cold," Peter called from the dinning room.

"I'm coming," she sighed.

As she came she saw the faces of Beth and Peter. They weren't much different from hers.

"Are we wanting the right thing, Peter?" Diane asked.

"What do you mean?" he answered.

"Is it right for us to want our daughter to be human, when it makes all her friends so miserable?" she sighed.

"They weren't miserable," Peter replied trying to reassure her, "They were merely disappointed that they couldn't find the guy who did this."

"And if we didn't make them search for him, they wouldn't be disappointed in not finding him!" Diane said.

There came two load thumps on the fire escape on the other side of their apartment.

"Hello? Is anyone home?"

"Elisa?"

Peter Maza just stood up see Elisa and Goliath enter through one of their windows, their wings caped over their shoulders. Both looked extremely depressed.

"What is it, sis? You look like someone killed Goliath," Beth said in a concerned tone.

"Mom, Dad, there's –uh- there's a chance that I won't be able to be human again," Elisa sighed, tears falling down her face.

"What?" Peter asked.

Goliath then began to repeat the information Oberon gave them. About the Mage. His power. The nature of spells cast by humans, and the Grimorium Arcanorum. All Peter Maza could do afterward was fall back into his chair.

"Has your clan found this 'Mage' yet, Goliath?" Diane asked.

"No, currently everyone is out looking, and the mutates are searching the sewers," Goliath answered, "But Elisa became greatly depressed when she learned from Oberon that transformation spells that are cast by humans usually have no counter spell."

Diane then watched as Goliath turned his head to Elisa and said, "I'm sorry I could not catch you in time."

Elisa looked up into Goliath's dark eyes. She knew he was concerned, and saddened.

"I'll be alright, everyone," she answered, "In time."

"Why don't you two join us for dinner," Diane offered, "If Elisa is getting depressed about this, it wouldn't be safe for her to be out chasing some power crazed wizard. Here, Elisa you can have my plate, we have plenty to go around."

Elisa sat down, but could only manage to look at her hands. Hands that were now held gargoyle's talons. Talons that could cut solid stone.

**Eyrie Building, David Xanatos's Office**

Xanatos was eying his computer carefully. While he didn't misbelieve Oberon's story about the Mage, he was sure that there were things that Oberon didn't want him or the gargoyles to know. You can't be someone who could almost be considered a god and at the same time not know things. Unfortunately, Owen and Lexington were much better at 'surfing the web' than he was, and neither of them was here. Oberon had Puck with him, and Lexington was off with the other gargoyles trying to find the Mage. So far no one reported back yet. Xanatos was actually beginning to consider uploading the image of the Mage into the Steel Clan unit's computerized brains and ordered them to join the search under the gargoyle's coordination.

He was about to take a sip of his coffee when the phone rang. When he picked up, a very upset, afraid, and nervous Matthew Bluestone began talking on the other line.

"Hello? Is Goliath there? I need to speak with them!" he yelled.

"This is Xanatos, detective, don't yell through the phone," Xanatos answered, "Why are you calling, Detective Maza is not due back for a few more days."

"Is Goliath there?" Matt asked.

"No, the clan is off searching for someone called 'The Mage'. The only gargoyle here is Bronx," Xanatos answered, "And he ain't talking."

Xanatos could hear Bluestone grumble on the other line, "Listen Xanatos, I can only tell you this once. Officer Morgan, Captain Chavez, and I have been arrested for obstructing justice. Apparently, Castaway got to Yale, and now we're in jail, and the Quarrymen are now a city agency. If they show up tomorrow, you can't stop them, you'd in fact have to help them or go to jail, but we all know that Castaway would kill you first."

Xanatos sighed as Bluestone continued, "Get the clan a new roost! Somewhere that they don't normally stay."

The last thing Xanatos heard was that of someone dragging Bluestone off, and the sound of Bluestone shouting that they didn't have to drag him.

"Things are going from bad to worse," Xanatos sighed.

**Over New York City**

Broadway and Angela said little to each other as they searched. Block by block they flew over, and still there was no sign of this man in red robes whom Goliath and Elisa learned from Oberon to be 'The Mage'.

"What do you suppose we do when we find him?" Broadway asked.

"I don't know, maybe we can talk to him," Angela offered, "I mean he had nothing to gain by doing what he did, maybe he's trying to pull a Xanatos and reform."

"I don't know," was all Broadway could say in reply.

Then suddenly over the small radio devices that they received from Xanatos came Xanatos's voice, "Attention all gargoyles, return to Castle Wyvern IMEDIATELY! We have a problem."

Broadway looked east and sighed, "Well, it is getting close to dawn."

The two gargoyles then turned back toward the Eyrie Building and their ancestral home.

When the gargoyles returned to the castle from their patrols, Xanatos was waiting for them on one of the parapets.

"I'm going to guess that you didn't find him?" Xanatos said.

"Aye lad," Hudson answered, "Now what be this problem?"

Xanatos sighed and then said, "Apparently Castaway has worked out some deal with the District Attorney and the Mayor's office. The Quarrymen are now an official city institution, and there is nothing I can do to stop them if they come here tomorrow morning to smash you all."

"Where will we go?" Lexington asked in a shaky voice.

"I have a basement system under the Eyrie Building, Castaway doesn't know about it, and it doesn't appear on the Eyrie's blueprints, so I can deny it even exists if he comes looking," Xanatos answered.

The gargoyles looked visibly relieved.

"Where's Goliath? And Elisa?" Brooklyn asked.

"I don't know," Xanatos replied, "But it's nearly dawn. I'm sure they've found a safe place. Now come with me. Quickly."

**Diane and Peter Maza's Apartment**

Goliath and Elisa hid themselves on two sides of a bookcase in Peter Maza's small private den. It was made smaller by the presence of the two stone gargoyles.

"I hope they'll be alright," Diane sighed, "Elisa sounded so upset when she came here."

Peter came up beside her, "Don't worry, I'm sure they'll be fine. There are no windows so those Quarry guys won't be able to see them."

Diane took Peter's hand in hers and then repeated over and over again for a few seconds, "I hope so."

**Nightstone Unlimited**

Castaway lead three dozen Quarrymen into the Nightstone Unlimited Building just after dawn. It gave him a great sense of pride to know that the demon would soon be captured in human form, and shown to the world as the evil witch she is. A pushy secretary, who had obviously been verbally abused by the demon on multiple occasions tried to stop him and his men.

"Lady, we are doing the city's work," Castaway growled at her, "No either help us or get out of my way!"

He aimed his laser cannon at her to ram the point home. The woman stepped aside. Castaway and his men then proceeded to the series of elevators at the end of the entrance room. As they rode the elevator to the top floor, Castaway couldn't help but hum one of the tunes he remembered from his childhood.

Castaway knew victory was at hand. However, he didn't expect the surprise that awaited him when the doors opened. Lying on the floor, looking is if she had been mauled by another gargoyle, the demon lay in the middle of her office. The large glass office windows were broken.

Castaway and many of the men with him were laughing maniacally as they proceeded to pick up the demon's knocked out body and carrying her off.

**Eyrie Building**

Fox was busy watching an old made for TV movie when the news report came on.

"This is Bret Lexinir speaking to you live from the offices of Nightstone Unlimited," the reporter said.

Fox blinked and leaned forward.

"Less than half an hour ago, thirty-six Quarrymen entered the building and carried of the body of Dominique Destine, founder and CEO of the company," Lexinir continued.

The screen then showed Castaway talking to the reporter earlier, "Dominique Destine was only a gargoyle demon in disguise. My organization has only recently been able to determine this, and as that the Quarrymen are an official city agency, responsible for the protection of mankind against these demons that would kill us all, she has been apprehended for 'questioning'."

"Reports from the NYPD are that Ms. Destine is yet to arrive for questioning, but all reports indicate that Castaway has not exceeded the mandate he received from the major yesterday afternoon," Lexinir said, "But if these 'demons' have infiltrated our businesses, what is next?"

"How about the destruction of an innocent race," Fox growled to herself turning the television off.

As Fox went to leave her room, she ran into Titania.

"Yes?" Fox asked hesitantly.

"I would like to see my grandson," Titania answered.

"Shouldn't you be worrying about this 'Mage' character?" Fox asked.

"That is Oberon's department, as the Quarrymen are the gargoyle's and your husband's worry," Titania answered with a sly smile, "We are merely the power BEHIND the throne."

Fox chuckled at that remark, and then sighed, "Promise you won't try to take him from me?"

Titania nodded.

**23rd Precinct Headquarters**

It was nearly noon when Xanatos made his way through the busy police office. He would have preferred to bring Owen with him, but Oberon was still at Wyvern, so that was an obvious non possibility. Quarrymen filled the halls and watched several of the regular cops do their jobs. He was stopped by a uniformed Quarrymen outside what used to Chavez's office. Castaway had already placed a pro-Quarrymen officer as the new captain.

"What are you doing here?" the Quarryman demanded.

"I'm here to have a private discussion with the police captain and possibly Margot Yale as well," Xanatos said sternly, "It is within my rights."

"What's within your rights is to surrender the gargoyle demons our leader," the Quarryman answered, "Now, unless that is what you're doing, I'm going to have to throw you out."

The Quarryman didn't even give Xanatos a chance to answer. He grabbed him by the arm, and dragged him out of the building, and as Xanatos lay in the street the man shouted, "Castaway is in charge now! You either do as he says, or be damned!"

Many people around him looked shocked at what had happened. What they saw was David Xanatos, a multibillionaire, CEO of Xanatos Enterprises, get thrown out onto the sidewalk as if he were a common thug.

"Not my best day," Xanatos thought, and then pulling out his cell phone he called the Eyrie, "Owen, get my armor and the Steel Clan ready, my attempt to get Chavez, Bluestone, and Morgan out by means of bail has failed. Oh, and call the press to Wyvern."

**Unknown Location**

Dominique Destine awoke slowly, and became visibly angry when she was fully awake. Someone had captured her while she was out cold from the attack last night. She felt bruised and beaten, as if hit by several different hammers. She lay tied to a bed wearing a long white robe. Sitting across the room was a man in red robes.

"Ah, you're awake," the man said smugly, "Mr. Castaway said that he and his man had KILLED you after they found you unconscious. But, you've given me good news by waking up, because you see, I don't want you dead. But then as an immortal, it's not like you could die anyway."

"When the sun sets, I'll make you wish they could have killed me!" Destine threatened.

"There is where you're wrong Ms. Demona," the man said with a very evil grin, "There is where you're wrong."

**Margot Yale's Office**

Castaway stood before the angered District Attorney with a great grin on his face. The first two phases of his plan were complete, and the fourth, which he intended to take care of after destroying Goliath and his clan was taken care of. All he had left to do was to destroy the Wyvern Clan and kill the few race traitors there were. Thanks to the manipulation of Yale and the mayor, and removal of Chavez from her position as Captain of the 23rd Precinct, the Quarrymen were free to execute their policy no matter what! No more hiding out to escape the police. No more pitched battles with the gargoyles that his men always seemed to lose. The gargoyles would be smashed during the day, and there was nothing anyone could do.

"Mr. Castaway you said that you were going after gargoyles for interrogation," Yale snarled, "Dominique Destine is one of the nation's most powerful HUMAN women! How dare you attack her?"

"Ms. Yale, Dominique Destine is really the gargoyle known as Demona!" Castaway answered back, "She has repeatedly tried to destroy all of mankind on one or more occasions! She is no novice in the arts of sorcery, and used it to disguise herself as a human during the day to further her activities. Sadly when my men and I were bringing her back to be questioned for her involvement with the clan of these demons, she fought, and regrettably had to be killed."

"You've gone beyond what you originally told me you were going to go!" Yale yelled.

Castaway smiled, and pulled a hand gun from his pocket, "Of course I have Ms. Yale, and you didn't think the leader of a massive hate group would keep his word, did you? I've played you and the mayor and this city for the saps you are! I am the one in power! The mayor can't remove me no matter what I do because it will hurt him politically. The cops can't do anything because you and the mayor put them under my control. And now since you're appearing to go against me, that means you are nothing more than a race traitor. Good bye Ms. Yale."

After that he fired. Two uniformed Quarrymen came in after they heard the gunshot.

"Sir?" one asked.

"Take her body to the morgue," Castaway instructed, "Make sure it's quiet like, and that her death isn't made public till after them demons awaken."

**Diane and Peter Maza's Apartment, Dusk**

As the last rays of sunlight disappeared, Goliath and Elisa broke free of their stone shells, letting out great roars of anger. They found Diane, Peter, and Beth in front of the television. Their eyes were glued onto it.

"What's going on?" Elisa asked.

"Xanatos is on TV," Beth replied.

Then the voice of David Xanatos came over the television, "The Quarrymen organization has no legal right to hunt these gargoyles! They have ignored all the laws our society has claimed to love! Now as a businessman, I'd love to see Nightstone go bankrupt, because that means… well more money for me! But the Quarrymen went in there with no evidence other then Jon Castaway's word that Dominique Destine was a 'gargoyle in disguise'. And where is she now? It's night! The gargoyles should be awake! If Destine is really a gargoyle in disguise, I want to see the proof!"

Goliath put a talon to he forehead, "Much happened today."

"Castaway also had no right to imprison three officers of the law," Xanatos continued, "Captain Maria Chavez, Detective Matthew Bluestone, and Officer Morgan are all fine dedicated people. They all believe in law and order, same as the rest of us. Yes they didn't bring the gargoyle clan into the station and beat them about the head like Castaway wanted! Yes they didn't arrest them for dissection like Yale wanted! But who can blame them! If you listen carefully, all Castaway is really saying is 'kill gargoyles'! And all Yale is saying 'I'm a dumb woman, who's too stupid to get to know the situation'!"

"Much has happened," Elisa agreed her eyes wide.

Xanatos's rant continued onward, "The real problem behind all of this is the mayor of this city! He had the nerve to listen to genocidal maniac and paranoid witch! I say it's time something new occurred at city hall. I tried to buy bail for Chavez, Bluestone, and Morgan earlier today, and the Quarrymen decided that the constitution doesn't exist anymore, and I was THROWN into the street! Mr. Mayor, if you don't do something to reverse this premeditated attack on a species that is already gravely endangered and posses no threat to humanity, I will withhold all campaign funding that Xanatos Enterprises currently provides you and run against you in the next election on my OWN ticket!"

"What happened to Matt, Chavez and Morgan?" Elisa asked, her eyes already blazing red from having heard that her friends were arrested.

"We don't know," Peter said, "This is the first we heard of this, but we did hear about what happened at Nightstone Unlimited. Quarrymen went in, beat up Dominique Destine and carried her off."

Goliath was now beginning to growl himself, "Come Elisa, we must cool down Xanatos first. Then we will figure out what to do with the Quarrymen."

"What about this 'Mage' character?" Diane asked.

"He is no longer important!" Goliath responded angrily, "Xanatos is not one to bluff. He will do something more than run against the mayor in the next election. He may be trying to protect my species, Mrs. Maza, but if he carries it too far, the people will support the Quarrymen regardless."

With that, Goliath and a depressed Elisa took to the air.

Diane looked to Peter and said, "Get Derek!"

**Unknown Location, Dusk**

Dominique Destine braced herself for the pain of her transformation that she knew was coming. She would change to her gargoyle form, and then as Demona, teach this smug human a thing or two! But after a few seconds, she felt nothing. Not even a tingle of pain was felt. She looked down at herself. She was still human! Dominique Destine gasped wide at herself. It was night and she was still human! This was impossible.

"I told you that you were wrong," the robed man said.

"Who are you?" Destine demanded with a noticeable sign of fear in her voice.

"I thought you'd never ask," the man replied, "I am the Mage! Teacher of the Archmage, and hopefully you will become my new apprentice. You will help me destroy the Third Race once and for all. All we need to do is find them."

Destine chuckled to herself, "So a human wizard is fighting a war against the Children of Oberon. You must be immortal since the Archmage was around when I was young, and the Phoenix Gate is lost forever."

"You do know that Oberon and Titania have conducted the Gathering, right?" Destine asked, "It is impossible to attack them."

"Ah, so the almighty king has called his children home," the Mage snickered, "Interesting how he was able to hide it from me! Oh well, not that that matters at all. I have means to attack Avalon."

**Castle Wyvern**

"I suppose you're pleased with yourself?" Oberon demanded coming out onto one of Wyvern's parapets.

"I must help the clan," Xanatos answered putting on the gloves to his armor, "I tried to do this the legal way, but the Quarrymen aren't playing by the rules."

"The gargoyles will oppose you, even if you are trying to protect them," Oberon answered.

"I've made the Quarrymen's intentions clear and Yale's foolishness known," Xanatos snarled, "The mayor may be hesitant because of the fact that if he backs away from Castaway now, right after he's given Castaway power, he could lose the next election. But, he also knows that he doesn't even have a chance of reelection with out my company's campaign donations."

"Any stand down that you force will take time," Oberon warned, "Time you do not have, and time that Castaway will use. If you truly seek to protect this clan, then you must simply let Castaway attack them."

Xanatos put the exo-frame's helmet on, and then yelled, "And let him kill them all? Oberon, Castaway isn't entirely stupid. He may pay for it eventually, but he will come after daybreak and smash their statues. The gargoyles can not defend themselves during the day."

There came two thumps behind him, "While your devotion to my clan relieves some of my fears, I can't allow you to do this, Xanatos."

Xanatos turned to see Goliath and Elisa standing there.

"If the Quarrymen truly are in power, the best we can do is to ignore them," Elisa said, "This isn't like the Jews during World War Two in Nazi held Europe. We actually look like demons! If we go out and attack Castaway right now, it will only add flame to the fire that we are already trying to put out."

Goliath put his hand on Xanatos's shoulder, "Besides, you've issued your warning to the mayor. If he truly values your money more than Castaway's villainy, he will back away from him."

"What if he doesn't?" Xanatos asked.

"May god help us all!" Elisa answered.

**Mayor's Office**

The mayor of New York was busy with paper work. Things were not going well for his administration. Yale came in two days before talking about police obstructing justice, and that the gargoyles haven't been officially questioned for any of the crimes that have been included. She told him that it appeared that the Quarrymen were the only people willing to question them. But then this business at Nightstone Unlimited. How did Castaway know that the company's CEO was a gargoyle? And Xanatos's possible campaign announcement. He was right about a few things. None of the precincts reported Destine being brought in for questioning. When Yale suggested that the Quarrymen might be law and order's only ally in this situation she sounded regretful. Xanatos also said that the Quarrymen refused to let him pay the bail fees needed to free the three cops Yale accused of obstructing justice, that they threw him into the street. But the precincts and the Quarrymen reported that David Xanatos never came near them!

Things were going too far. The mayor worried greatly about the possibility of Xanatos running against him. And while he was playing into that threat, Xanatos was still singing the same tune he had been for the past three years, 'you can't just kill these gargoyles', and 'they're just like you and me'. Castaway was singing two different songs however. His wife had overheard some Quarrymen talking yesterday about 'how soon all the gargoyles will be dead' and 'that idiot of the mayor will lose his job when the people finally realize their mistake, but not wanting to blame themselves'. When the mayor listened to the Quarrymen leader speak, the man sounded like a cop who watched his buddy get killed by one of these gargoyles, and then blamed the entire race for it. The mayor may have heard the words 'interrogation' and 'legal justice' come out of Castaway's mouth, but the voice was filled with hatred.

The mayor had had enough of this mess, and picked up the phone, "Get me the chief of police for all the precincts."

**23rd Precinct Holding Cells, Two hours later**

Matt Bluestone was awakened to the sound of the door to the cell opening. A uniformed police officer stood there with the door open.

"You three are free to go," the man said, "The mayor has had enough of this."

**Quarrymen Headquarters**

"HE WHAT?!" Castaway screamed into his phone.

"The mayor has apparently had change of conscience, we are being kicked out of every precinct in New York, and those who try to fight are being arrested."

"Recall your men, and meet me at the Eyrie Building," Castaway growled, "We are going to finish this tonight."

**Eyrie Building**

Titania looked at the sleeping form of Alexander Xanatos in his bed. Despite the fact that as the Queen of Fey she didn't really need sleep, she had always admired the way mortals looked peaceful when they slept.

"You treat him well," Titania commented.

"He's my son, of course I treat him well," Fox answered, "Do you think I wouldn't?"

Titania sighed, "No, my daughter. No."

Fox was about to say something more when Oberon walked in. His face was somewhat pale.

"What is it?" Titania asked, looking in her husband's direction.

"The Mage has learned of the Gathering," Oberon answered, "I'm afraid my love, that we will have to return to Avalon before he launches an attack."

"Aren't you afraid you'll suffer as well?" Fox asked.

"No, the Mage's power has never risen above the level that it was during the height of the Roman Empire, Mrs. Xanatos," Oberon said confidently, "Our power grows from day to day as we live on…" and then gestured toward Alex, "…and as new halflings are born. The Mage will find this out very soon."

Elsewhere in the Eyrie Building, Owen, finally released from attending Oberon's temporary court was watching one of many display panels in the Eyrie's security office. Included in the room, was a screen showing a map of New York. Xanatos Enterprises had placed several cameras throughout the city during Xanatos's rivalry with Goliath's clan. The cameras were there to spot the gargoyles, so Xanatos could keep track of the gargoyle's movements. Now they were used to keep track of those who might harm the gargoyles. Fortunately, Goliath and the clan have never found out about these cameras.

Owen watched the screen with a degree of nervousness. The screen showed more than one hundred uniformed Quarrymen flying through the air with jet packs, and there were also more than three dozen armored cars with the Quarrymen logo on them. All of them were heading toward the Eyrie Building and Castle Wyvern.

**23rd Precinct Headquarters**

Captain Chavez sat back at her desk with a sigh. Arrested and then released, with no trial and returned to her original job. Either a certain Xanatos had his hand in this, or the mayor truly changed his mind on the 'gargoyle' situation. She hoped Elisa was alright.

She was shuffling a stack of paperwork that had been ignored by her replacement when a uniformed officer came in.

"Yes?" she asked.

"We found the DA's body down by the docks," he answered, "She was shot. She was found wearing a gown that is commonly used in morgues."

Chavez sighed.

"That's not all captain," the man continued, "On my way here, I noticed several Quarrymen trucks driving around. They look like they're headed toward the Eyrie Building."

Chavez growled silently, then she stood up and walked to the door to her office, and shouted "Bluestone!"

**Castle Wyvern**

David Xanatos quickly put his exo-frame's helmet back on. He had just gotten off the phone with the mayor, and was greatly relieved that the mayor decided not to continue the Quarrymen as a city organization. The decision did nothing to help the gargoyles, but it did allow them and him to use whatever means necessary to defend themselves and the castle if attacked. However, Xanatos didn't expect Castaway to decide to attack now. He looked over at Goliath and Elisa. Both stood on the battlements about twenty feet from him.

"Owen, send the Steel Clan up here," Xanatos ordered, "Tell the gargoyles they are needed up here, and start the "Armageddon" lockdown procedure."

"Yes sir," Owen answered, walking off.

Below them in a hidden basement complex of the Eyrie Building, the clan sat around a small table playing dominos. It wasn't a very fast moving game. Broadway was either eating or talking to Angela. Hudson would occasionally pause to pat Bronx. Lexington and Brooklyn were just bored and didn't have any interest in the game.

Suddenly, Owen's voice came over an intercom, "Excuse, but Mr. Xanatos and Goliath requests your presence on the battlements. The Quarrymen are coming."

The six gargoyles dropped everything they were doing, and ran toward the elevator.

**Eyrie Building Front Doors**

Quarrymen agents surrounded the doors of the Eyrie Building as more and more arrived. But the building's doors didn't budge. In fact every man that came remotely close to them received a massive electrical shock.

Castaway hoped out an armored car that just pulled up to see one of his men flung across the street.

"Come on!" he shouted, "It's just a door! Blast through it, or blast through the wall! We must destroy the gargoyle demons before our political power completely disappears!"

Several Quarrymen fired at the door and the walls. The blasts of their hammers were simply reflected back at them. They were thrown back and knocked unconscious almost immediately.

Above on the battlements, Xanatos, Goliath, Elisa, and the clan watched the spectacle begin to unfold.

"Shoot!" Brooklyn sighed, "If they keep this up we won't have to fight them!"

"He probably figures to overpower the 'Armageddon' lock down program," Xanatos said smugly, "I designed it to protect the building from an atomic explosion. Their hammers will do little more than attract attention."

"What if he figures that out, lad?" Hudson asked.

Xanatos activated his jet pack and took of, and then dove toward the Quarrymen below them, the Steel Clan following him.

"I don't intend to give him that chance!"

Goliath watched the billionaire and his robots descend to ground level for a few minutes. He turned his attention to the sky again when he heard the sound of jet packs. He saw at least a hundred uniformed Quarrymen flying toward them.

"He's attacking us from two sides!" Elisa yelled.

**Above Manhattan**

Talon lead Claw and Maggie in a frantic race across Manhattan's roof tops. He felt extraordinarily nervous about what his father had told him.

"Trouble brewing at the Eyrie Building" is what he said. That thought ran through his mind. Then as they rounded one of the skyscrapers between them and the Eyrie, he saw the trouble that was brewing. There were flashes of light and roars were heard for miles. The clan was fighting somebody. Talon hoped it wasn't Xanatos.

"What's going on up there?" Maggie asked, sounding worried.

"We're going to find out," Talon said, trying not to sound angry.

They glided for awhile in silence until the sound of police sirens were heard below them. Talon looked down to see a black unmarked police car with a single red siren blaring streak along the road.

"Talon, Matt was driving that car!" Maggie shouted to him.

"Xanatos's threat to run for mayor must have gotten the mayor's attention," Talon shouted back.

Matt drove along in a hurry. Xanatos had turned from the clan's enemy to the clan's protector, but if an enemy as powerful as the Quarrymen were attacking the Eyrie Building, Matt didn't put it past Xanatos to play some sort of trump card to save his own hide. He heard a series of three soft thumps on the roof of his car. Then with 'cat-like' agility, Claw and Maggie got into the backseat, while Talon got in beside him.

"What's going on?" Talon demanded.

"The mayor has decided to discontinue using the Quarrymen as a official city agency, and Castaway is attacking the Eyrie Building before his political power officially dies at dawn," Matt answered, "On top of all this, Margot Yale's been executed, and probably by Castaway himself."

"Why would Castaway shoot Yale?" Maggie asked.

"Probably because Yale only wanted the clan in a zoo somewhere," Matt answered, "Castaway wants them dead."

Talon and Maggie both snarled. Claw could only pound his fist into the car's leather seat.

"Chavez, Morgan, and I were returned to our jobs when the mayor ended his ties with Castaway," Matt continued, "and Chavez wants me to deal with the situation at the Eyrie."

"There's a battle going on there," Talon told him.

"I know," Matt sighed.

**Street outside the Eyrie Building**

"Run!" a Quarryman yelled, dodging a laser blast from one of the Steel Clan.

Xanatos watched the battle here progress. He was rather pleased with the success of the Steel Clan in this battle. After years of battling Goliath's clan, the mutates, Demona, Cyberbiotic's cybots, and the third race, and constantly upgrading the Steel Clan's weapons and armor after each defeat or draw, the Steel Clan was now becoming a potent battle force.

He turned and fired his wrist lasers at one of the few remaining armored cars and fired. The car, designed to stop bullets exploded after Xanatos's lasers punched through the armor and hit the gas tank. Suddenly as Xanatos moved to prevent a Quarrymen from escaping the now hopeless battle on the ground, a solid metal hammer hit his jet pack, knocking him to the ground.

Xanatos got up slowly. His armor's damage controls were displaying that his armor was at 78% efficiency, and his jet pack was no longer operative.

"You'll fail in the end!" came Castaway's voice, "I've got more in air with jet packs than I do down here! Your precious clan will be destroyed!"

"Wrong," Xanatos answered, as he pivoted on one foot and punched Castaway squarely in the chest.

Castaway was thrown by the impact of the exo-suit's punch into the Eyrie Building's protective lock-down system. The lock-down system's force fields threw him across the street. Xanatos watched Castaway land and then slump down to the ground moaning.

Matt gasped at what he saw when he pulled his car up. The Quarrymen had blocked many of the roads around the Eyrie Building with their armored cars, and anyone trying to get through on foot, hastily ran away as soon as they saw what was on the other side of the road block. More than one hundred Quarrymen were either fighting with Xanatos's Steel Clan or trying to blast through a force-field around the Eyrie Building itself.

Matt and the mutates climbed out of the car and ran toward the battle. Matt pulled his side arm out of its holster, as he watched Maggie, Talon, and Claw prepare to fire off some bursts of electricity.

"Bluestone, 23rd, what's going on here?" Matt yelled.

A red and black Steel Clan member leaped from a burning armored car and landed a few feet away.

"Ah, Detective, just what I need," Xanatos said calmly.

"What's going on Xanatos?" Talon snarled.

"You brought friends Detective! Good, the Steel Clan and I need your help to deal with these monsters," Xanatos answered.

"Answer the question," Matt ordered.

"Well, the Quarrymen hate gargoyles, and I happen to have a clan of them living in Castle Wyvern above us," Xanatos answered, "The Steel Clan and I are protecting them. All our weapons are on stun, none of the attacking Quarrymen have been seriously harmed."

"Shame you can't say the same for some of their vehicles," Talon commented.

Above them the battle had much more mobility. Goliath wondered why Castaway was with the ground team, since he counted the gargoyles as his major enemies. The Quarrymen attacking the castle were much better fighters than the ones on the ground. Goliath had watched Elisa and Hudson get driven back onto the Castle itself, and he had to restrain himself from going to check on his mate.

Goliath reached out and grabbed one hammer out of the air and flung it, and the Quarryman holding it, through the air. He landed on the rooftop of a different building. He wasn't knocked out, but Goliath felt glad that at least his jetpack was destroyed and unable to bring that Quarryman back into the fight.

The battle was very rough on Elisa. Goliath had so far only taught her how to glide as a means of travel. She was still to 'inexperienced' as a gargoyle to battle foes in the air. She watched Hudson dodge blasts, and make quick leaps to knock one down.

"There's too many of them!" Elisa shouted.

"Aye, lass, but we will defend the castle till our death!" Hudson answered, "Tis what we do."

Elisa turned her head back to chase or dodge another Quarryman's attack, but instead saw something that filled her with great fear. Two Quarrymen held Goliath's arms, and a third had his hammer wrapped around Goliath's neck. The large lavender gargoyle was doing the best he could to throw them off, but others blasting away with their hammers kept him from making any progress.

"GOLIATH! NO!" Elisa roared and with her eyes blazing a deep blood red color, she leaped to try and save her love.

**Inside Castle Wyvern**

Fox watched the battle progress outside. She watched Elisa streak through the air and ram one of the Quarrymen attacking Goliath. Owen came up beside her.

"Will they come for Alex?" Fox asked nervously.

"I wouldn't think so," Owen answered, "At least not now. Mr. Xanatos and the gargoyles are their primary enemies. If they win by a narrow margin, it is most likely that they will leave us alone. That possibility is unlikely."

"What?!" Fox screamed.

"Mr. Xanatos and the Steel Clan are now finishing up the Quarrymen at street level, and they have been reinforced by Detective Bluestone and the mutates," Owen responded, "Once they are done there, they will likely join the battle above Wyvern."

**The air above Castle Wyvern**

Goliath watched Elisa's attack on the Quarrymen. The one that had been blasting away at him was knocked senseless, and the Quarryman that was chocking him was tackled as Elisa glided above him and then grabbed the man with her tail. Without the other two Quarrymen to help them, Goliath found it quite easy to swing his arms together and knock the other two Quarrymen unconscious.

Goliath turned to see Elisa come back up to him.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Goliath answered, "Nothing a day in stone won't cure."

Goliath then looked around. While Hudson and Bronx continued to be kept close to or on the castle walls, the Quarrymen didn't come close to where Hudson could leap at them and use his sword to disarm them or knock them out with a single punch. Broadway and Angela seemed to work together in a sort of 'tag team' effort. Broadway would catch and immobilize the Quarryman's hammer, while Angela moved to disable the jet pack. Both had some bruises, but they would heel when the sun rose.

Lexington was doing very well. He was easily out maneuvering his Quarrymen pursuers. In fact, it looked as if Lexington's movements were designed so that when the Quarrymen shot at him and missed, the blast would hit another Quarryman.

Brooklyn was having a lot more trouble. He was able to pull Lexington's trick once or twice, but he still had to rely on punching his attackers. Like Goliath experienced earlier, Brooklyn was attacked by large numbers of Quarrymen at one time.

"Elisa! We must -," Goliath started, but the sound of flying sparks interrupted him.

From below, Talon, Claw, and Maggie came charging with Xanatos and the Steel Clan close behind. The mutates fired off a wide barrage of electricity and Xanatos and the Steel Clan supported them with laser fire. The Quarrymen, caught of guard, broke and disengaged.

"Well I guess that is that!" Xanatos said smugly.

**Unknown Location**

The Mage stared out of one of the windows. He could see the battle at the Eyrie Building, and thanks to his powers over magic, he could tell that Castaway was losing.

"All my help," the Mage muttered, "and still you can't beat a species you call a demon."

"My kind aren't demons," Dominique Destine growled from the bed she was tied to.

"Of course, you're human, humans aren't demons," the Mage answered, and then gesturing toward the window again, "and gargoyles aren't demons either!"

"Why did you do this to me?" Destine demanded.

"I told you, you are going to be my new apprentice to fight the third race," the Mage answered, "In time you may even like your human form, just as I'm sure that Ms. Maza will enjoy her form as a gargoyle."

"You did that to her?" Destine yelled, "How dare you! You've ruined everything! Now Goliath has claimed her has his mate, and there is no way I can win him over to me!"

"You sound depressed," the Mage taunted.

"I'm supposed to be a gargoyle," Destine growled.

"And you began your final damnation with your series of foolish wishes to the Puck," the Mage said coldly, "He tricked you, and you were too stupid to know it! But I can help you! You may be human, but if you work with me, you can have your revenge on Puck and his whole race!"

"I don't wish to make war on the third race," Destine growled, "I wish to make war on humanity!"

The Mage chuckled, "Well, you may not be able to make war on the human race but you can still rule over them."

Destine blinked.

"You and I are immortal, Ms. Destine," the Mage continued, "What do you suppose we do when our 'missions' are completed? Waste away? I'm offering you untold power Ms. Destine. Under my tutelage your powers over sorcery will increase exponentially, we can destroy the third race, claim its power, and then rule the entire world."

Destine blinked again.

"Plus I didn't cast a permanent spell on you," the Mage said with a grin, "Once the third race is destroyed, I can return you to the form bestowed on you by Puck, or you can chose to remain my Queen."

Destine began to smile.

"Besides, while you're human, you could simply kill this Elisa Maza while she sleeps in stone," the Mage said again.

"Deal," Destine answered, "and call me Demona!"

**Castle Wyvern**

Elisa and Goliath sat atop their tower at Wyvern, awaiting the dawn. Matt and an army of police were cuffing the Quarrymen below. Talon and the mutates were still there, and Elisa's parents and Beth had come up.

"Will you be looking for this 'Mage' again?" Diane asked.

Elisa spoke up before Goliath could answer, "I'll keep looking, but only to make sure he doesn't do something like this to someone who doesn't want it."

"You want to stay this way?" Peter gasped.

"Mom, Dad, I've married a gargoyle, and Castaway was too easily able to gain power," Elisa sighed, "I just don't think it's safe for me to be a human married to a gargoyle. I'd rather be a gargoyle mated to a gargoyle."

Peter looked to Diane, and then looked back with a very weak smile, "You've gotten used to what's happened."

"Yes I have," Elisa said smiling back, "Maybe we all need to look on the bright side of this, during the Quarrymen attack, if I hadn't been a gargoyle, Goliath would have been seriously hurt or worse. Also mom, Goliath and I can have your grandkids now, although you'll have to wait till 2008 for me to become pregnant, and till 2018 for the egg to hatch."

Diane smiled weakly, "We all love you Elisa, and you do what is best for you. We can get used to it, eventually."

Elisa nodded, but said no more, and she soon changed to stone.

Talon looked at the two statues of Goliath and his sister and then said with a smile, "They look good together. I guess Elisa is truly part of the clan now."

"I guess so," Beth added, and then said in a nervous tone, "Now does this mean I'm going to grow wings next?"

"God I hope not!" Peter and Diane sighed.

**The End**


	2. Revenge and Anger

All the characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyright Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder. All original characters are the property of SN.

Note: I'm disregarding the events in the "Goliath Chronicles", with the exception of "The Journey" because I do not wish to use the rest of the "Goliath Chronicles" as canon to my story. This story takes place however one month after "The Changing and The Wedding".

Revenge and Anger

By SN/TVfan

Email: Sam_Nary

**Federal District Court**

"Your honor, we the jury find the defendant, Jon Castaway, also known as, Jon Canmore, and the two hundred fifty arrested Quarrymen guilty as charged of deceiving the government in the form of political subversion," the Jury representative said.

"We also find Jon Castaway and the twelve dozen Quarrymen that came forward, guilty of the abduction and murder of Nightstone Unlimited CEO, Dominique Destine," the representative continued.

"We also find Jon Castaway guilty of murdering District Attorney Margot Yale," the representative added, "We jury believe that the maximum penalty should be given to the accused."

The judge from his bench nodded, and then said in a very stern voice, "It is the determination of this court that the two hundred fifty Quarrymen who were involved in the political subversion of the government of New York City are to be sent to federal prison for a period of 35 years without possibility of parole. Those twelve dozen Quarrymen that participated in the murder of Dominique Destine are to be sent to federal prison for a period of 50 years without possibility of parole. Jon Castaway is to be sent to a federal prison for the rest of his natural life, without possibility of parole."

In the back of the court room, as the judge's hammer made the sentence final, the human form of Demona smirked. To her right stood a man in a silken red robe. He was the Mage.

"So, Demona, your first hurdle to destroying humanity is cleared," the Mage said with a smile, "The last of the hunters will no longer bother you. Too bad it will have to wait until I am finished with you."

Demona snarled, "There are still many Quarrymen in New York. There are even more throughout the country!"

"Once the third race is destroyed, you will find them leaderless and easy to destroy," the Mage countered.

Demona only growled at the response.

**The Home of Brendan and Margot Yale**

Brendan sat in one of the couches that where in his home. Empty beer cans littered the floor, and several cards containing the condolences of Margot's friends. No one he knew sent anything. Also for the first time in his life, Brendan was drunk.

"She's gone," he muttered, "The one woman who ever loved me is gone."

**Nightstone Unlimited, Sevarius's Lab**

Sevarius paced behind the body of still unconscious Coldsteel. It was obvious to him that the blue light that took control of his other specimen had damaged the systems that were supposed to awaken Coldsteel. He'd spent the past month trying to undo the damage, but he had made very little headway.

"Mr. Sevarius," a woman's voice said over the intercom, "Your twelve o'clock appointment is here."

Sevarius growled at that. When the Quarrymen first abducted Dominique Destine, he felt it was the perfect time to take over Nightstone, and he did so with no problems. Now he felt bogged down with paperwork and meetings. He was half tempted to make a clone of himself, and let the clone run Nightstone, while he focused on the important stuff.

"Send him to my office," Sevarius answered.

**Castle Wyvern, Dusk**

Xanatos stood carefully on the top of the Castle's highest tower, as the stone forms of Goliath and Elisa came to life. Although the flying stone shards probably knocked him to the ground.

"What do you want Xanatos?" Goliath demanded, "You are rarely here when we awaken."

Xanatos chuckled, "I have good news actually. Castaway has been sentenced to life. You won't see him again, and the Quarrymen won't be a threat to your clan anymore."

"You come up here to tell us that?" Goliath asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well you couldn't exactly watch it on the five o'clock news now could you?" Xanatos replied with a smile.

Goliath and Elisa said nothing and then looked at each other, and then looked back to Xanatos. Feeling is business done for the evening; Xanatos gave a polite wave, and departed.

"Are you going to join me for breakfast?" Elisa asked.

Goliath nodded, "You think that we skip meals?"

"I occasionally had to skip meals when I was human," Elisa said, "You know, overslept, late for work, had to run out the door."

"I have never had that problem," Goliath answered with a grin.

Below them the rest of clan stretched and yawned, and waited for Goliath and Elisa to come down from their perch.

"Do you think we'll find him tonight?" Lexington asked.

"Hope so," Brooklyn said, "Twelve people have disappeared over the past month, like magic."

"Arg, this Mage is harder to find then Bronx on bath night," Hudson growled rubbing his back, "I don't think he'd be showin' himself till he thinks his victory is at hand!"

"That doesn't sound good," Broadway sighed.

"It isn't," Goliath answered as he landed, "But we can do no more than patrol till we find him. Elisa may have chosen to remain one of us, but that doesn't mean other people would."

"But from what we've been told the Mage seeks the destruction of Oberon's Children," Angela pointed out, "He couldn't be targeting these people that are missing, could he? I mean people don't have any natural magic like the fey do, and if they did, why would they all concentrate in a single area?"

"But who else do we know, who knows magic?" Lex asked.

Brooklyn's beak suddenly turned into a snarl, "Demona!"

**Unknown Location**

"All beings have some amount of magic in them, Demona," the Mage said, "However, it is so minute in most creatures, including gargoyles and humans can not feel it. The few humans and gargoyles that can manipulate magic must still use some tool, like the Grimorum, to channel the energy because they simply don't have enough magic in themselves to control it otherwise. Now I however, am different. When I was a young boy I found that I could use a draining spell to drain any living thing of its life force and absorb it. In doing so I would gain the magical energy that resided within that being. I found that eventually I was able to channel magic on my own, without a tool, like the Fey can."

"You're a vampire," Demona snarled.

"No, vampires are creatures that are technically already dead," the Mage retorted, "I am very much alive. I guess I could be 'magical vampire' if you catch my drift."

"So why have you transported these twelve people here?" Demona asked.

"My apprentice, you must use the same 'magical vampire' spell that I did in order to gain the power we both need to accomplish our goals. Since you are already immortal and have ability to manipulate some magic already, the process may make you even power than you expect it to," the Mage answered.

"Why don't you do this to yourself and increase your own power? Then you wouldn't even need me," Demona questioned.

"Once I found that I could manipulate magic on my own, the 'magical vampire' spells ceased to work for me," the Mage said, "I never taught the Archmage this spell because I knew he was too much like me, and I am not about to share my throne with a man."

Demona raised an eyebrow, "Alright, teach me the spell. The sooner our business is completed the sooner I can get back to what I'm supposed to be doing."

The Mage only chuckled.

**The Streets of Manhattan**

Brendan staggered through the streets in a drunken daze. Every last drop of alcohol in his home had been consumed. He passed the old building that used to be the Quarrymen headquarters. The police seized it after Castaway and the other Quarrymen were arrested. Most of the Quarrymen insignia on the door and surrounding brick was still there. Brendan stared at the door for a moment.

"You did this to me!" he yelled, shaking his fist at the door, "You killed my wife!"

He barely noticed the crowd gather around him as he continued to yell at the door.

**Castle Wyvern**

Elisa and Goliath were just walking toward the tower to spend their next day in stone. There was still no sign of the Mage. The clan did foil several robberies and a few other petty crimes, but considering their mission, they had accomplished little. Goliath looked to his mate. She looked worried.

"What is it, my love?" Goliath asked.

"Goliath, what if it is Demona and not the Mage?" Elisa asked, "How do we know we're chasing the right villain?"

"Any villain is the right villain to chase," Goliath answered, "Besides, Demona has not been seen since Dominique Destine was abducted. From the reports Hudson saw on television, the Mage and the Quarrymen had some connections. Demona may even be in league with him."

"Great," Elisa grumbled, "Two evil sorcerers out there instead of one. What else can go wrong?"

Just as they arrived at the top of the tower, a black figure landed out of nowhere in front of them. Both Goliath and Elisa recognized the figure, and recoiled in shock, but all three transformed to stone before anyone could say anything.

**Devil's Den Prison, Upstate New York**

Castaway was pushed along by several guards. None of them were shy when it came to beating him with their nightsticks.

"Move," one ordered.

Castaway complied. He hated the orange jumpsuit he was now to wear for the rest of his life. He was quickly shoved into a cell. As he pulled his face up he heard the voice of man who was probably only in his very early twenties.

"Hm, big bad Quarryman locked in a prison of steel!"

Castaway looked up, "Dracon!"

"Yep, I got moved here recently," Dracon said smiling, "Guess Brode and I started too many fights between us."

"A Hunter does not associate with a common thief!" Castaway snarled.

"Some hunter," Dracon joked back, "You lost. Just like I lost. Face it!"

Castaway sighed and sat down on the bench opposite Dracon and thought to himself, "How the mighty have fallen."

**Eyrie Building**

Owen sat at his own desk, keeping busy with what was required of him to keep Xanatos Enterprises running smoothly. He was still concerned about the Mage being out there, but as far as he could tell, the only thing the Mage had done, so far, was turn Elisa Maza into a gargoyle. What worried him about this was that this was a far departure from what the Mage had done in the past.

"What are you up to?" Owen muttered to himself.

"Helping you," came a voice from the other side of the room.

Suddenly Owen's office was filled with the blinding radiance of green light. When it faded, Owen's chair was occupied not by Owen but by Puck. Across the room stood Titania.

"Good morning Puck," Titania said.

"Good morning, my Queen," Puck answered politely, "Now what do I owe the honor of this intrusion?"

"You know why I am here," Titania replied, "You've been worrying about him for a month."

Titania continued, "It is likely that the Mage will attempt to hunt you down first. Since Oberon stands by his judgment to keep you banished from Avalon, I have been given the power to return your full power to you."

"And what do you wish of me to do with it?" Puck asked, "My powers are always best at trickery! The Mage can see past that."

Titania chuckled, raised an arm, and chanted…

"Child who ignores his master's call,

you face a villain, who wants us all to fall,

return to you your power taken,

but use it wisely, or you're forsaken!"

Puck could feel his powers return to him, it tickled in fact. Once the green light around him subsided he looked at Titania and said, "Thank you, my Queen."

"You are Avalon's first line of defense, Puck," Titania warned, "You are still required to teach Alexander, but you are no longer 'tied' to him. And do not fail us."

Puck bowed as Titania then left the room.

**Nightstone Unlimited**

Sevarius stood outside the old cloning chamber that he first used to make the clones of Goliath's clan. He smirked to himself, "I should have thought of this long ago!"

Sevarius took a rather large syringe and poked the needle into the veins on the inside of his elbow. He winced as he did so, but continued with the process, drawing out a large some of blood. Once he was done he walked across the lab, and placed the syringe into a mechanical container connected by all sorts of wires to the cloning chamber and to various computers.

"Sample collected," the computer's mechanized voice announced, "Scanning sample and replication process beginning. Cloning process will be complete in twelve point three hours."

Sevarius chuckled to himself, "Now my enemies will have two of me to deal with!"

**23****rd**** Precinct Headquarters**

Matt Bluestone sat at his desk, head down. The past month had been hard on him. He and most of the NYPD as well had been trying to find and question many of the Quarrymen members that lived in New York City to question them as to whether or not they participated in the attack on the Eyrie Building. His most recent attempt had only found a drunk Brendan Yale throwing anything he could get his hands on at the former Quarrymen headquarters.

"Bluestone, go home, you're overworking yourself," Chavez said.

Matt looked up at her. He hadn't noticed that she was there.

"I can't," he said with a yawn, "I need to get the Quarrymen off the streets. They could still attack Elisa and the clan."

"They won't be effective," Chavez answered, "Besides, they have no leader, and you can't keep going out and arresting them like this. We have no warrant. We have no evidence that those other Quarrymen were there. Even if we do successfully get them in prison, it will make New York City look like a police state."

Matt sighed.

"Now go home and get some rest," Chavez ordered.

Meanwhile in the precinct's holding cells, Brendan sat on a bench. He was still hung over from the previous night and had his head buried in his arms.

"It's all their fault!" he muttered to himself.

"All who's fault?" a voice asked.

"The Quarrymen and the gargoyles," Brendan said without looking up, "The Quarrymen killed her, and the gargoyles didn't help her."

"The gargoyles were in their daily stone sleep," the voice answered, "They couldn't have helped."

Brendan looked up. He saw Matt Bluestone, the officer that arrested him standing outside his cell. It was Bluestone who was talking to him.

"Keep it down," Matt said, "I'm supposed to be on my way home."

"Why are you talking to me?" Brendan asked.

"You don't seem to be the type of person who would get himself drunk," Matt answered with a slight chuckle, "I'm curious as to why you were throwing stuff at the old Quarrymen headquarters, or was that just a side effect of the alcohol?"

"They need to pay for what they did," Brendan sighed.

"Castaway and many others did," Matt said, and added as he walked away, "Don't let your grief consume you Brendan. Nothing good can come out of it."

**Unknown Location**

Demona stood in the center of the stone dungeon that the Mage had magically constructed. The twelve bodies of human beings hung from chains attached to the wall. They were all drained of their life forces, thanks to the Mage's 'magical vampire' spell. Demona felt power surge through her like never before. She instantly chanted something in Latin and waved her arms through the air. The twelve human bodies vanished and were replaced by various heavy weapons.

"You're doing well, Demona," the Mage said from behind her, "Now that you are essentially the human equivalent of Child of Oberon, we must now make our plans to defeat the third race."

"Goliath and his clan will wish to stop us," Demona pointed out, "Return me to my gargoyle form, and we can deal with them."

The Mage shook his head, "I'm afraid that goes against our bargain. I'll turn you back into a gargoyle once the world is mine. Not before. As for Goliath and his clan, I can easily avoid a clan of gargoyles that can not sense magic."

"Maybe they can't, but I'm sure Puck can," Demona said, "Puck hides out as Xanatos's assistant Owen. The clan lives atop the Eyrie Building, where Xanatos Enterprises has its headquarters. Destroying Goliath's clan and killing a Child of Oberon should help you considerably."

"I will need to think on this," the Mage said walking off, "You may practice your magic at your leisure Demona. But, don't do anything rash or stupid. I will not save you if you attack the gargoyles without my consent."

Demona growled as he walked out.

**Castle Wyvern, Dusk**

Once again the sun set on the western horizon and the gargoyles of Manhattan came to life. Goliath and Elisa stumbled down from their pedestal to look at the gargoyle that arrived at dawn the night before. It was a gargoyle they both remembered.

"THAILOG!" they yelled in unison.

"Is that whose body I took?" Thailog asked in a voice that wasn't Thailog's.

Below the clan listened to Goliath and Elisa's yell and the almost fearful answer.

"How can Thailog be alive?" Angela asked, "Demona killed him."

"I guess no one stays dead anymore," Brooklyn answered

Broadway came up to Angela and placed a hand on her shoulder, "We should go check this out. Goliath and Elisa could need help."

"Aye," Hudson answered, sounding both angry and puzzled.

As Brooklyn, Lexington, Hudson, Broadway, and Angela began to climb the wall of the tower, Bronx ran toward the stairs inside the tower. When they all arrived at the top, they stood there in shock. It was Thailog standing before Goliath and Elisa. He was looking down at the ground, and made no effort to attack. Angela noticed that Thailog's face also seemed to be completely depressed, but still free of any injuries that might Thailog might have suffered in his final battle with Demona.

"Why are you here, Thailog?" Goliath demanded.

"Is that whose body I took?" Thailog asked again.

Hudson blinked. The voice wasn't Thailog's. This gargoyle had Thailog's body and appearance, but not his voice. Strangely, the voice he had was also familiar to him.

Hudson came up behind Goliath and put his hand on Goliath's shoulder, "Lad, I dinnae think that be Thailog. Listen to 'is voice."

"Is that whose body I took?" Thailog repeated.

Goliath blinked this time and nodded, "I don't know who you are, sir, but you look exactly like a clone that was made of me named Thailog."

"I am sorry Goliath if I've offended you with this form, but it was the only body I could posses," Thailog answered.

"Posses?" Lex asked, "This sounds like something we'd need Puck for."

**Streets of Manhattan**

Demona had left the Mage's hideout for a bit of exercise and to test her newfound power. She felt strange walking around in her human form at night, amongst the humans themselves. Few paid her any attention. She was about to head up another street when a mouse like voice called out to her from an alley.

"Hey, you, you're Dominique Destine, are you not?" the voice asked, "Didn't the Quarrymen kill you?"

Demona turned to the voice and began to walk into the alley.

"Show yourself," she ordered.

From behind a dumpster came Brendan Yale. He looked horrible. The knees of his pants were in tatters, his coat was torn in several places, and his vest and tie were missing.

"Are you Dominique Destine?" Brendan asked again.

"That is one of the names I go by, yes," Demona answered, "Why are you hiding back here?"

"How did you escape the Quarrymen?" Brendan demanded.

"I was helped by a very noble man," Demona lied.

"They killed my wife," Brendan said, looking down.

"Castaway got life imprisonment for that," Demona said.

"They deserve to die for what they did," Brendan retorted with anger that Demona never thought the man was capable of, "My wife was a protector of this city. Half of the city's criminals and thieves are in jail because she prosecuted them! And the Quarrymen kill he as if she were one of the 'demons' they fight."

"You want revenge, don't you?" Demona asked with a wicked smile, "That's not like you."

"Don't you hate the Quarrymen for what they did you?" Brendan practically screamed.

"I hate the Quarrymen for totally different reasons," Demona answered, "But, yes, I do hate them."

Brendan looked at her for a few seconds without saying anything.

"Come along with me Mr. Yale," Demona said with a grin, "There might be a way we can get even with those racist bigots!"

**Eyrie Building**

Xanatos was busy inspecting some of Xanatos Enterprises new laser equipment which had been designed to work with everything from laser rifles to the lasers used in corrective eye surgery. Owen was with him holding a palm pilot.

"How soon can we put these on the market, Owen?" Xanatos asked.

"The first orders will be ready in three weeks, Mr. Xanatos, and the prototypes for pre-production presentation will be ready in two days," Owen answered.

"We're ahead of schedule then, aren't we?" Xanatos smirked.

Owen was about to answer, when on of the two doors to the room opened, and Goliath and his clan entered. 'Thailog' stood in the middle with Broadway and Brooklyn each holding one 'Thailog's' arms. When Xanatos saw the clone that he created, the clone that betrayed him his eyes narrowed.

"Isn't he supposed to be dead?" Xanatos growled.

"Despite his appearance," Goliath said, "We have reason to believe this isn't Thailog."

"How so?" Owen asked.

"He doesn't sound like Thailog," Lex explained.

"We thought that maybe Puck could help with the explanation of who this is?" Hudson said.

Owen looked to Xanatos and then back to the clan. When his eyes settled upon 'Thailog' he shifted from Owen to Puck.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Puck asked in a musical tone, "Out with it, black guy, I'm still on the ticker!"

"I am not Thailog," 'Thailog' said.

"Wow, your voice has changed!" Puck joked, "You using some new throat spray?"

"Be serious Puck," Elisa growled.

Puck settled down in one place, right in front of 'Thailog', "Well, tell us black guy, if you aren't Thailog, who do you suppose you are?"

"I-I-I am Macbeth," 'Thailog' stuttered in an embarrassed fashion.

"WHAT?!" screamed everyone in the room except for Puck and Thailog/Macbeth.

**Nightstone Unlimited**

"Twelve point three hours have passed," the computerized voice announced, "the clone is complete."

Sevarius chuckled to himself as the door to the clone chamber opened. Steam and various other liquids that were need for and a byproduct of the cloning process hissed out of the chamber as a naked man that looked exactly like Anton Sevarius stumbled out.

"Good evening Mr. Sevarius," Sevarius said, "I am Doctor Sevarius and you are my clone."

"You have good taste," the clone noted.

Sevarius laughed at the answer and motioned his arm toward the far door, "Come with me, I'll get you some clothes, and then we can get to business."

**Unknown Location**

The Mage sat by a window as Demona returned with a brown haired man. His powers over magic already deduced that this man was Brendan Yale, the husband of Margot Yale, who was murdered by Castaway during his brief rule over Manhattan.

Remembering Castaway made the Mage chuckle.

"I beat you two ways," the Mage thought to himself, "First I got what I wanted out of our deal. And second I actually increased the gargoyle population by one."

It took Demona a few minutes to lead Brendan Yale up to the room the Mage was in. When she entered the room, the Mage watched Brendan tentatively follow. He could sense that the man was nervous.

"Relax Mr. Yale, I have no intentions of harming you," the Mage said.

"You know me?" Brendan answered surprised.

"I know a great many things Mr. Yale," the Mage answered, "I am the noble man who saved Ms. Destine here from the Quarrymen. You may call me Mage."

"Mage?" Brendan asked.

"It's a knick-name I got in high school when I began practicing magic," the Mage answered.

"Magic?" Brendan stammered with his mouth dropping to the floor.

"You live in a city that has a clan of gargoyles in it and you don't believe in magic?" the Mage retorted, "Are you on drugs or something?"

"No, of course not," Brendan answered, trying to sound brave.

"Good, now what can I do for you?" the Mage asked.

**Eyrie Building**

"I am Macbeth," Thailog/Macbeth said again.

"That is impossible," Goliath said, "Macbeth is human, had has no contact with any sort of magic that could transform him into a gargoyle, let alone a clone of me."

"But Macbeth does have enemies with those connections," Puck said floating around, "Tell us your story Macbeth."

Thailog/Macbeth looked down, "I was in my home when Demona burst through my window. She stabbed me with a syringe of some sort, and I awoke in this body."

"Demona's been playing with Doctor Sevarius I see," Puck mused.

"What do you mean, Puck?" Goliath growled.

"Well, I'm not an expert on the Weird Sisters' spells, but I believe that Demona and Macbeth can not die unless they kill each other," Puck explained, "But since Demona practices a great deal of magic on her own and since Sevarius's field of science is in genetics, I think that the two of them conjured up something that would only kill Macbeth's body, but leave his soul intact."

"You can't do that," Goliath said, "When someone is killed, both the body and the soul die."

Puck smiled devilishly, "What about the soul transference spell I taught young Alexander? While Alex's soul was in Lexington here, Alex's body was technically dead. But since the body wasn't destroyed and he left it in perfect health, it was quite simple for my pupil to return to his own body."

"What are you saying?" Broadway asked.

"I'm saying this is only Thailog's body," Puck said, "Demona and Sevarius's little poison only forced Macbeth's soul out of his body. Now Macbeth's soul is in the body of Thailog."

"Then how did my soul get into Thailog?" Thailog/Macbeth asked, "I have no memory between Demona's attack on myself and my awakening in this body."

"I don't know," Puck answered, "That is probably something to be answered by either Demona or Sevarius."

"I don't think Demona knows how I got into this body," Macbeth/Thailog said, "The night before her abduction by the Quarrymen, I attacked her in her office. She seemed surprised at who I was or at least who I look like. She became hysterical when she realized that the voice she heard coming out of this mouth wasn't Thailog's but mine."

"Why didn't you kill her, and end all this?" Brooklyn asked, half growling.

"I wanted to, but the sun began to rise soon after I attacked, and I had to find a place to – uh- roost as you would say," Macbeth/Thailog answered, "I've been hunting Demona ever since, but I've had no luck. I came to you last night in hopes that you had seen her."

"We haven't seen her since my wedding," Elisa said.

"Ah yes, I forgot about your wedding," Macbeth/Thailog said with a bow, "Congratulations Ms. Maza. Now, may I ask how you became a gargoyle?"

"Let's just say there's one more wizard on this planet than you think," Elisa replied with a sigh.

**Outside the Eyrie Building**

A robotic form hovers in mid air, its hover jets blazing. The robot's optical sensors have the ability to see through the Eyrie's walls and it has also heard the discussion between Macbeth/Thailog, the clan, and Puck.

"Mage, your friend Demona's information was accurate," the robot said into a transceiver on its shoulder, "The Child of Oberon known as Puck is also the man named Owen Burnett."

"Thank you my friend," the Mage's voice answered through the transceiver, "You have the power within you, and you've carried out my mission. I release you. You may carry out your revenge."

Back inside, Macbeth/Thailog walked toward Puck.

"Is there someway I could get my soul back into my body?" he asked.

"It is possible," Puck answered, "But I will need to see the body first, and I will need a sample of the poison that Demona used on you."

"That shouldn't be too hard," Macbeth/Thailog answered.

"Then go get it!" Puck said in a kingly type tone, "I meanwhile must return to work before I'm fired!"

**Central Park**

Alex Linite strolled casually through Central Park with his wife Abbey and their two small children. He was nervous. It had been a month since he and his fellow Quarrymen had attacked the EyrieBuilding. A month since they were defeated and their leader began his path to prison. All he knew was that the entire organization was falling apart. To him the gargoyles were a threat to humanity. Even if they were going after criminals, they were going after human criminals. When the Quarrymen began, Castaway had told them all about the crimes that some gargoyles had committed, but were never prosecuted by other gargoyles for it. Alex Linite joined the Quarrymen because he believed the gargoyles were merely sinister creatures planning mankind's destruction one group at a time, starting with the lowest rungs of society so that humans would see them as heroes. But Castaway had taught everyone who joined the Quarrymen the true nature of these creatures. Alex Linite believed him.

"All we need is a new leader," Alex thought to himself.

Suddenly Abbey grabbed his arm, and pulled him back.

"What is it?" Alex asked.

"That!" Abbey screamed pointing at a robotic figure in the sky.

It came done toward them like a cat descending on a mouse.

It screamed in a mechanical voice, "You killed my wife!" and then fired two laser cannon's built into its arms, reducing both Alex and Abbey Linite to ashes.

**Unknown Location**

"What connection does Goliath and his clan have to Avalon that requires his destruction?" the Mage asked.

"He has no connection to the third race," Demona answered, "But he is a hero. He will try to stop you. Also, the descendents of the Wyvern Clan are Avalon's Honor Guard. It is likely that Goliath would oppose you to protect them."

"I have no 'beef' with Avalon's Honor Guard, and if Oberon decides to use them against me, I have the perfect spell to distract them," the Mage answered, "Puck is our only concern at the EyrieBuilding."

"The clan MUST be destroyed!" Demona growled.

The Mage muttered something in Latin, and sparks of electricity flew from every inanimate object in the room toward Demona. She screamed in pain and fell to the floor.

"I enlisted you to help me achieve my goals," the Mage growled back, "Goliath and his clan are not my concern. The clan is preparing to leave the Eyrie Building soon. We are going to abduct Puck and bring him here."

"Why not just kill him?" Demona asked.

"Because, Demona, I intend to use Puck to open the gates to Avalon," the Mage answered with a wicked smile.

**Avalon**

Oberon sat on his throne in Avalon's castle and watched the unfolding battle in the mortal realm. A large mirror that was as tall as he was floated in front of him. It showed images of Puck talking with the clan. It showed images of Demona in human form talking with Brendan Yale. And thanks to Oberon's power, it was able to show a few scattered and short glimpses of the Mage himself.

"What concerns you my lord?" Titania asked.

"The Mage intends to use Puck as a key to opening the gates of Avalon," Oberon answered, "Did you return his powers to him?"

"That I did my lord," Titania answered, "Although I am unsure of our strategy, my Lord. Puck is strong, but not strong enough to face the Mage on his own, at least not yet. Perhaps we should do something. Try to slow him down?"

Oberon glared toward his wife, and smiled mischievously, "Well he is immortal."

Then Oberon focused his power on the mirror's image of the Mage and chanted:

"Immortal villain of ancient lore,

slow your attack to a gentle snore."

Back in the Mage's lair, blasts of emerald energy filled the room that Demona and the Mage were standing in. While Demona felt nothing, she did watch the Mage shriek with pain and then crumple over. After a few seconds the light subsided, and Demona stood up and checked on her new master. He was fast asleep, and it looked as though he wouldn't wake from it.

Demona then chuckled to herself, "Now I can deal with the clan. You'll thank me when you wake up Mage."

**Macbeth's Mansion**

The clan landed on Macbeth's roof with a series soft thumps. During the past month, Elisa had become much better at gliding, but in her mind she felt she still had a long way to go. Macbeth/Thailog had even more problems. It was clear to the clan that while Macbeth's soul had spent a month inside Thailog's body, Macbeth had taken little time to learn how to glide or land or take off.

"Which window did Demona fly through?" Goliath asked.

"That one," Macbeth/Thailog answered pointing to a window that was still shattered.

Goliath scrambled along the roof on all fours toward the window. Macbeth/Thailog followed, although his movements were rather clumsy. Once inside the room, Goliath saw that there had been a battle here. A chair was broken and there were several tears in the carpet. Goliath could smell the remaining ashes of a fire. He quickly turned when heard Macbeth/Thailog landed face first on the floor.

"I'll never get used to this," Macbeth/Thailog grumbled.

"Come on," Goliath said.

The two proceeded to search the room. There was nothing there. Then as Macbeth/Thailog went to open a door to the hallway he found a piece of what was his old body nailed to the door. After seeing this, he screamed.

**23****rd**** Precinct Headquarters**

Phones were ringing off the hook throughout the office as horrified people all over Manhattan called the cops. Matt hustled across the floor, hands over his ears trying to block out the noise. He quickly shuffled his way into Captain Chavez's office.

"What's going on?" Matt asked, "It seems like everyone is on the phone out there."

Chavez sighed, "Some robot or something like that is out there attacking and killing many of the confirmed Quarrymen members that weren't arrested."

Matt blinked. The only 'robots' that he heard of that would have a grudge against the Quarrymen were Coldsteel, Coldstone, and Coldfire. The clan had told him about their battles with them over the years. However, as far as the clan and Matt knew Coldsteel, Coldstone, and Coldfire were not in New York.

"I'll take the case," Matt said.

"You?" Chavez asked, "Why? I thought you wanted to prosecute the rest of the Quarrymen?"

"Not this way Captain Chavez," Matt answered, "The Quarrymen are evil, but murder is murder. Besides, only you, Morgan, and I have any real knowledge about some of the weird stuff that goes on in this city."

"Don't get started on aliens, Bluestone," Chavez warned.

"I'm not," Matt answered, "But do you think that your average cop who barely believes that gargoyles exist is going to believe that a robot is out there attacking members of the Quarrymen? Besides, the only 'robots' that I know of that could do this have connections to the clan."

Chavez sighed.

"We got to keep the clan safe," Matt continued, "Especially since they've gone through the great danger to reveal themselves to us."

Chavez then nodded, "The case is yours Bluestone. I want this guy brought in, and unharmed, and if he really is a robot, I want him undamaged."

"Yes Captain," Matt answered, as he turned to leave the room.

**Unknown Location**

Demona chanted over and over again in Latin. She was amazed at the lifestyle the Mage had lived. The house that they had been staying in was a mansion. She was currently in the mansion's garage. Before her thirteen cars of various models changed before her eyes. Twelve turned into Steel Clan robots that resembled her gargoyle form, instead of resembling Goliath. The thirteenth car changed into a stealth hovercraft.

"Now I'll deal with Goliath and his clan," Demona growled to herself, "Then the Mage will have no trouble dealing with Puck. We can destroy the third race. I can destroy humanity, and then I'll destroy him!"

Demona laughed wildly as she got into the hovercraft and took off into the night sky through an open skylight in the roof. The Steel Demona Clan followed.

**Nightstone Unlimited**

The clone Sevarius came out of the changing room that the real Sevarius had provided him. The clone now wore a black business suit with a red tie. The clone's hair had also been dyed white. The real Sevarius was waiting for him.

"How do I look?" the clone asked.

"Like a genius," the real Sevarius answered, "The women will love you."

Both men chuckled. Then the real Sevarius put his hand on the clone's shoulder.

"Now, the world can not have two Anton Sevariuses," the real Sevarius said, "Since you are my clone, you need to pick a new first name. I can simply say you my identical twin brother."

"Wouldn't your real parents know it was a lie?" the clone asked.

"They would if I hadn't already killed them," the real Sevarius answered.

Both men laughed again.

"I will be Alexander Sevarius," the clone said, "From what I remember; your former employer had a habit of naming things Alexander."

Anton Sevarius chuckled, "Yes, Xanatos had a habit of that, first with Goliath's clone and then with his son."

"What do you suppose will happen if they have a daughter?" Alexander Sevarius mused with a grin.

"She will probably be named Alexandra!" Anton Sevarius said back laughing.

**Castle Wyvern**

"Macbeth's soul is in Thailog's body?" Fox asked surprised.

"That's what Puck said," Xanatos answered as the two strolled along the castle's courtyard.

"But Thailog was killed," Fox protested, "Some of your crews pulled what was left of Thailog's body out of that roller coaster that Demona collapsed on him…"

"And then I had them destroy what was left," Xanatos finished, "The Thailog I had created is dead. I believe our old friend Sevarius has created an entirely new Thailog clone."

"But why would he want to create a new clone?" Fox asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Probably to gain control of Nightstone," Xanatos sighed.

"But he got Nightstone when the Quarrymen abducted Demona!" Fox replied, "Why would he need the clone?"

"Sevarius wants to rule the world, with everyone being his mutate slaves," Xanatos answered, "It is highly unlikely that he would have contacted the Quarrymen to remove Demona from Nightstone."

"Why?" Fox asked sounding nervous.

"Because the Quarrymen know about the mutates, and they know that mutates are creatures intended to copy gargoyles," Xanatos answered, "Therefore, they would view Sevarius as a race traitor for trying to turn humans into gargoyles. Castaway would have killed him the instant Sevarius contacted him."

"He's worse than you ever were," Fox growled.

"I don't know," Xanatos sighed again, "I did willingly EMPLOY him for a time."

They were interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Xanatos looked behind him to see Owen leading Matthew Bluestone toward them.

"Detective Bluestone wishes to speak with you Mr. Xanatos," Owen announced.

**Macbeth's Mansion**

The clan was still sitting on the roof of Macbeth's mansion when Goliath and Macbeth/Thailog emerged out of the broken window. In Goliath's talons was a large syringe. Macbeth/Thailog held nothing.

"What about his body?" Angela called out.

Neither Goliath nor Macbeth/Thailog answered. Once they made it to where the clan was waiting, Hudson walked up to Macbeth/Thailog.

"What happened to yer body, lad?" Hudson asked.

"Mutilated," Macbeth/Thailog answered, "I'm doomed to remain in this form forever!"

Goliath then sighed and looked to the clan, and then looked to the body of his clone that Macbeth's soul now occupied and controlled.

"You are welcome to join my clan, Macbeth," Goliath said, "We can help."

"Uh- I don't know…" Macbeth/Thailog answered.

"Don't worry," came a hissing voice, "None of you will live long enough to worry about the future any more!"

**Castle Wyvern**

Matt Bluestone and Xanatos had walked up to the battlements, and left Fox and Owen in the courtyard. Xanatos didn't mention what was going on with Macbeth being in Thailog's body. Somehow he knew that Detective Bluestone was not entirely in the mood to hear it.

"What do you want Detective?" Xanatos asked.

"How active have the Steel Clan been since the Quarrymen attack?" Matt demanded.

"The Steel Clan has been in its storage compartments since the attack, Detective," Xanatos answered, "And Owen is still filing the paperwork needed to make sure I don't get sued for using them."

Xanatos looked at Bluestone for a brief second.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Some robotic thing has been attacking and killing Quarrymen members around the city," Matt answered, "And since YOU'RE the king of all things robotic and creepy in this city, I assumed…"

"That I was the guilty party?" Xanatos asked.

"Yes."

"Detective, I know nothing of this, and you should know that I wouldn't do anything like this anymore," Xanatos said, "Goliath would kill me, and I've lost enough battles to him and his clan to know that Goliath is not one you want angry at you."

Matt sighed.

"How can Xanatos use humor at a time like this? People are dying. Evil people, yes, but murder is murder," Matt thought.

Matt then looked out over the New York City skyline, "Well if you aren't doing it, than who is? Are Coldfire and Coldstone back? Is Coldsteel back?"

"As far as I know, Coldstone and Coldfire have chased Coldsteel all the way to Utah, and are still chasing him," Xanatos answered.

Xanatos then made a motion with his arm, as if to say, "follow me".

"Come along with me Detective," Xanatos said, "If there is some killer robot out there, you're going to need something more powerful than a hand gun to deal with it."

**Unknown Location**

The Mage pulled himself up slowly from the floor of his mansion like lair. Oberon had cast a sleeping spell on him. Although the Mage was fairly certain that Oberon thought he'd be out for days rather than hours.

"Oberon, you never did know how to fight a war, did you?" the Mage growled to himself, "You can't just shoot spit wads at somebody who's prepared to use nukes."

The Mage stood up and began chanting in Latin. Then after a few brief seconds he began chanting again.

**Avalon**

Princess Catherine sat calmly in Avalon Castle's library, reading from an old book that was titled Chronicles of Scotland's Royalty. She found it rather interesting to read, although she was mostly reading it in the hopes of maybe getting some knowledge abut her mother, other than what she remembered her father saying about her. She took a brief break from her book to look out a nearby window. What she saw was very frightening. The entire sky seemed to be on fire, and the mists that surrounded Avalon were mysteriously missing. Shortly thereafter the mirror in the library, which allowed Oberon and his children to pass from room to room without using the castle's doors and alleyways, exploded, sending glass shards everywhere.

"TOM," she screamed running toward the door.

Oberon felt the Mage's direct attack on Avalon. Soon after every mirror was destroyed, the sky returned to normal, but he knew that the Mage had inflicted a serious defeat on him and his race.

"What has he done?" Titania asked.

"He has destroyed every mirror on Avalon," Oberon growled, "Unless we use a skiff or are summoned, we can not journey to the mortal realm. The Mage has practically trapped us here without any ability to contact Puck."

Titania's eyes narrowed, "Puck sounded nervous about facing the Mage when I returned his power."

"Of course he did," Oberon snarled, "He hasn't had any real power for three years, and he hasn't had to fight a foe as powerful as the Mage since the middle ages!"

"And even then, if it hadn't been for I, he would have died," Titania added.

"Let us hope that Puck's skills have advanced since then," Oberon sighed and then thought to himself, "This is rapidly getting out of control."

**Macbeth's Mansion**

Goliath looked up to something that perplexed him. A large hovercraft was directly above them, and standing on top of it was woman in white robes with flaming red hair. Hair that was kept the same way Demona kept her mane. Flying around the woman and the hovercraft were twelve gargoyle robots that resembled Demona.

"Demona in human form?" Elisa stammered.

"At night?" Macbeth/Thailog finished.

Demona became visibly angry, "Yes, a little gift from the Mage, at least until he is able to destroy the third race."

"You're in league with that nut aren't you?" Brooklyn demanded.

"How did you guess?" Demona laughed, "Now meet MY Steel Clan!"

The twelve Steel Demona Clan bots dove down toward them all. They fired lasers from their arms and from their eyes as they went. Lexington was hit almost immediately and knocked off of the roof. Two of the robots seized Broadway and began to carry him off. Hudson charged one that had landed on the roof, but as he stabbed his sword into the robot's chest, another shot him in the back with its optics lasers.

Demona watched the spectacle unfold. In her first strike, she had knocked Lexington out of the fight and Broadway and Hudson wouldn't be able to help in the near future. She watched Angela take off to catch the two Steel Demonas that were carrying off her mate. Brooklyn, Elisa, Goliath, and Macbeth/Thailog managed to dodge her robots fire, but they couldn't get airborne.

Macbeth/Thailog leaped off the roof and made a quick glide into window that Demona had long ago smashed in her attack against him. Demona motioned to two of her Steel Demonas.

"Follow him, I want him alive," she ordered.

When Demona turned her eyes back to the battle, Demona saw that Goliath had caught one of the Steel Demonas by the tail, and despite taking multiple laser hits to his wings and one in the shoulder, Goliath managed to tear the robot's head off. He then threw the rest of the lifeless robot at Demona's hovercraft.

The robot exploded on impact, and her ship immediately began to lose altitude.

"Goliath you fool," Demona snarled, "I may be human for now, but the Mage has granted me the means to gain power that you can't even possibly imagine. I don't really need this hovercraft."

Demona then began to chant in Latin and then disappeared. When Demona did reappear, she was directly behind Elisa. Filling her fist with magical energy that she had gained from the Mage's 'magical vampire' spell, she punched Goliath's new mate in the back directly between her wings. Elisa screamed with pain and fell to her knees. A Steel Demona robot fired its laser cannons and knocked Elisa backward. The force of the impact through her backward and through the window that Macbeth/Thailog had just fled into.

"Elisa!" Goliath screamed in terror.

"Don't worry, she isn't dead, yet," Demona sneered, "She will live long enough to see the end of this battle, and you will live long enough to watch your whore die. Right before you!"

Goliath roared in anger and threw two Demona robots that were holding onto his arms. One collided with one that was chasing Brooklyn and exploded. The other hit Demona square in the face. Goliath then dived after Elisa.

Hudson was just getting to his feet when he saw Goliath dive back toward the window that he had earlier emerged from with Macbeth/Thailog. Demona commanded something that he couldn't hear to one of her Steal Demona Clan robots. It turned and began firing on him. Hudson was able to get airborne, but the robot took off much faster. With strength five times greater than Xanatos's Steel Clan ever had, the Demona robot punched him square in the chest. Hudson heard a bone snap. Just when he thought he was finished, Angela appeared out of nowhere. She landed on top of the Demona robot and tilted its wings so that the robot descended into the earth in a death spiral. Angela leaped off at the last second.

Hudson huddled on the ground. The pain in his chest was insurmountable.

"Hudson!" Angela cried out, "Are you alright?"

"No, lass, I think one of them Demona robots smashed me ribs!" Hudson answered.

"Relax here," Angela commanded, "It will be dawn soon. Broadway and I destroyed the two that had him. It seems they're only powerful when Demona is nearby."

Macbeth/Thailog watched Elisa come flying into the room, backwards. She hit one of the Steel Demona robots that were chasing him. The robot flew into a bookcase on the far wall and exploded. The resulting shockwave forced Macbeth/Thailog to his knees, and threw Elisa to the opposite wall. Macbeth/Thailog looked up to see Elisa crumple to the floor. Goliath came through the window a second later. The remaining Demona robot turned and fired its lasers. Goliath in his rage barely felt them nick his sides. He grabbed the robot and crushed its head with both hands.

A bolt of magical lightning then struck him in the back, as the human Demona entered the room. Goliath lay unconscious a few feet away from Macbeth/Thailog.

Lexington woke up on the ground. A bone in his tail was broken. He felt the pain, but he immediately began climbing up the walls of Macbeth's mansion. He could hear Broadway, Brooklyn and Angela roaring at the robotic Demonas that had attacked. By the time he got to the roof he saw that one had two were converging on Brooklyn and Broadway and Angela were both busy with two more. Lex made a desperate dive toward the closest one to him. He grabbed it by the ankle and pulled it down. The robot fired shortly after Lex grabbed it, and its shoot went wild, hitting the other Demona robot that was attacking Brooklyn.

Brooklyn turned and then punched the Demona robot that Lex had grabbed. It lost its footing, and Lex smashed the robot into the wall. Brooklyn helped him up.

"I don't think its going very well," Lex said.

"Ya think?" Brooklyn growled, "I'm going to help Goliath."

Brooklyn dived from the roof and maneuvered quickly through the smashed window. He found Goliath and Elisa both out cold and Macbeth/Thailog barely avoiding a series of magical lightning bolts being thrown at him by Demona. His eyes glowing white, Brooklyn launched himself at Demona, and brought a fist down on each side of her head. Demona crumpled to the ground.

Macbeth/Thailog came forward, "It's time that her threat to every race is ended."

But before Macbeth/Thailog could bring his toe talons down on Demona's neck and crush her wind pipe, she was enveloped in a wall of flame, and disappeared. Before Brooklyn or Macbeth/Thailog could do anything more, the sun rose and they turned to stone.

**Streets of Manhattan**

Matt drove along the streets as carefully as he could, and kept his eyes on the sky. He had driven around all night searching for this mysterious robot. A small laser pistol sat on the seat of the car beside him. Xanatos had given him the weapon, "in case things got rough".

Then as he turned onto one of the few apartment districts in Manhattan he saw a massive hole in the walls of one of the buildings. What amazed him even more, was that screams could be heard from inside.

"I bet this is my robot," Matt thought to himself, getting out of the car.

Running into the building he saw that the apartment's manager was in the building's small lobby, nervously calling the cops.

"I'm telling you, it sounds like some sort of robot is in there!" the man screamed, "It's raising a great ruckus and people are complaining of hearing terrified screams!"

Matt moved up to him, "Bluestone, 23rd Precinct, I'll hand this."

He took the phone from the man and put it to his ear.

"This is Detective Bluestone of the 23rd, I'm here to handle this," he said quickly, "Back up might be needed."

He quickly repeated the address of the apartment complex that the manager had written down, and then hung up.

"What room is this robot in?" Matt demanded.

"27D, on the second floor," the manager said in a very nervous and frightened tone.

Matt ran to the stairs before the man could give him better directions. He knew he had to hurry. This robot had already killed a fair number of people. He couldn't let it kill anymore.

It took him a few minutes to find the room, and upon finding it, he kicked the door in. Standing in the center of the room was a tall robotic human. It stood roughly six feet four inches and held a frightened man above its head with one arm. The robot was a bright silver color and the metal reflected every beam of light the hit it. The only other colors on the robot's body were a metallic brown metal around the top of its head, and its two red mechanical eyes.

"Put the man down," Matt ordered raising the laser pistol at the robot's chest.

"He killed my wife," the robot answered in voice that Matt almost immediately recognized, "He deserves to die."

"Brendan?!" Matt stammered too surprised if anything to say anything else.

**Eyrie Building**

Xanatos just came down to his office from Castle Wyvern. The gargoyle beast Bronx, whom the clan didn't take with them, had been visibly worried about its fellow gargoyles, who did not return before dawn. The garg-beast had been so worried that it kept Xanatos up all night with its howling and moaning. He sat with it all night patting its head, just to keep it quiet.

Once Xanatos got to his desk, he pressed the intercom button to Owen's office, "Owen, do you have any idea where the clan has gone?"

"No sir," Owen replied, "The clan was last seen on our city wide surveillance grid heading toward Macbeth's mansion, but were not seen returning."

"Could this Mage have attacked them?" Xanatos asked.

"Unlikely," Owen answered, "The Mage's chief concern has always been Oberon and the third race. If he has any interest in Goliath whatsoever, it is more likely that he would try and use the clan's natural distrust of the fey to his advantage."

**Unknown Location**

"What do you think you were doing?" the Mage screamed, sending another magical powered shockwave at Demona, throwing her across the room.

"I was trying to help you," Demona sneered, "Goliath and his clan may not trust the third race entirely, but they're not about to let you destroy them as part of some plan to conquer the world."

"Fine help you gave me," the Mage yelled back, "The cars you transformed weren't mine! This building isn't mine! The true owners are currently on vacation."

Demona looked at him.

"I moved in here when I saw the owners move out!" the Mage snarled, "Now I must waste my time, my valuable time, replacing what you destroyed!"

"Goliath and his clan MUST be destroyed if you're to kidnap Puck," Demona yelled, "They would not allow him to be taken by you."

"Puck was nowhere near that mansion!" the Mage growled, "If you wanted to help, you should have gone and picked up Puck while the gargoyles were away!"

The Mage paused, putting a hand to his head.

"Now, our alliance is going to be revealed to Puck and our enemies, and kidnapping him is now out of the question," the Mage said with a heavy sigh, "I've put Avalon in a total blackout, but if I know Oberon, he will decide to come here somehow, just so he can watch his own race's destruction."

"How does that help you?" Demona demanded.

"Oberon is the worst general you could ever imagine," the Mage replied, "He never takes risks. He only makes his moves when he is one hundred percent sure that his foe will be humiliated in the worst fashion. That's why all the mirrors that the third race use are capable of letting the third race see what all is going on in the world. Oberon will want to know of my progress against him, but without his precious mirrors he will have to come here, and he will be blind. Oberon will have to take a risk in this war. A risk I assure you he is not prepared to take."

Demona watched the Mage paced the room.

"I'm sorry I have to do this to you Ms. Demona, but your uncontrolled anger toward your former clan leaves me with little choice," the Mage sighed before chanting in Latin.

Emerald energy shot from his fingertips and then covered Demona entirely, before she collapsed to the floor.

**Apartment Complex**

"Brendan Yale?" Matt stammered, staring at the robot.

"Detective Bluestone," the robotic Brendan answered.

"What happened to you?" Matt asked.

"A wizard named the Mage did this to me, so I could have my revenge on the people that murdered my wife," Brendan said again.

"The person that murdered your wife is in jail, Brendan," Matt answered, "You've become the same monster that killed your wife. Only your victims are different from his."

Brendan's now robotic eyes dimmed, indicating that he blinked. He looked at the helpless man he held in the air. And then he looked at the small family that cowered in another corner of the room. He dropped the man suddenly.

"God what have I become?" Brendan then cried, falling to his knees.

"A monster," Matt answered, "A robotic monster."

"Can I be human again?" Brendan asked in a weak voice.

"You said the Mage did this to you?" Matt demanded.

"Yes," Brendan answered, "He agreed to help me, since he helped Dominique Destine get away from the Quarrymen."

"These Quarrymen," then added, pointing to the man on the floor.

"Brendan, from what I know, the Mage had Castaway kidnap Dominique Destine for his own purposes," Matt replied coldly, "Partially because Castaway is correct about the fact that Dominique Destine IS the gargoyle sorceress Demona."

"You mean that the Mage was working for Castaway?" Brendan asked.

"No, Castaway was working for the Mage," Matt answered, "He has used you to fulfill his own purposes, and it's likely that you will be like this forever."

"No," Brendan moaned collapsing to the floor.

"Now, Brendan Yale, you're under arrest for the various murders of various Quarrymen and women," Matt said, "You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can be and will be used against you in a court of law."

Brendan slowly got up and followed Matt. His head turned to the family of the Quarryman that he had attacked.

"I'm sorry," he stammered.

Matt hurried the robotic Brendan into the back seat of his car. No backup units had arrived yet. Matt called it off as quickly as he could, and then began driving. Brendan never looked from the floor until he noticed that Matt drove past the 23rd NYPD precinct headquarters.

"Where are we going?" Brendan asked, "Aren't you arresting me?"

"Brendan, I can understand that you were mourning your wife, that's why you did what you did," Matt said, "Overall though, I think you were duped by the Mage and Demona. You weren't acting like yourself, and they caught you in the worst position a person could be in."

"So where are we going?" Brendan asked again, nervously.

"The Eyrie Building," Matt answered, "Xanatos is the only guy that I can think of that can either provide the proper facilities to restrain you or help you get your life back on track. At least as back on track as a robotic human can be."

"Isn't that where those scary gargoyles live?" Brendan asked again.

"You've terrorized this city as a robotic humanoid wanting vengeance, and you have the nerve to call gargoyles scary?" Matt said angrily, "The gargoyles are protectors despite their appearance. According to Elisa and the clan's leader, Goliath, they've saved both the lives of you and your wife on more than one occasion."

Brendan only looked down, ashamed.

**East Manhattan Docks**

A small skiff appeared out of sudden mists with six figures aboard. Two were stone gargoyles. Two were the figures of Princess Catherine and the Guardian Tom. The other two were two humans who have never been seen before in New York City. Or on Avalon.

"We must wait here till Ophelia and Gabriel awaken," Catherine said.

The unknown man grunted, "And let the Mage destroy my race?"

"Shall we leave them to be smashed by some careless dockyard worker then?" Catherine said back, with some anger in her voice, "I made a promise to Goliath that would protect the eggs of his clan until I died. Tom has helped me by becoming their guardian. The Magus helped me by fighting the Archmage's attempt to conquer your island."

"Yes that may be true," the man grunted again, "But you aren't fighting the Archmage this time. You are fighting his teacher. The Mage is far smarter than the Archmage could ever have hoped to be."

The unknown woman put her hand on the unknown man's shoulder, "The least we can do is honor the Princess's promise. I do not sense any major activity by the Mage at this time. We can wait till dusk my lord."

**23****rd**** Precinct Headquarters, Captain Chavez's Office**

Matt Bluestone came in slowly, and double checked to make sure they were alone.

"I heard you found your robot," Chavez noted.

"I did," Matt answered.

"Where is he?" Chavez asked.

"I left him at the Eyrie Building," Matt sighed, "It was Brendan Yale, Captain."

"What?" Chavez asked.

"Do you remember that 'Mage' guy, Captain?" Matt asked.

"The creep that turned one of my best detectives into a living statue?" Chavez growled.

"The one and the same," Matt answered, "Apparently he found Brendan wandering the streets of Manhattan, and offered to turn him into a sentient robotic being, so he could have his revenge."

Chavez only sighed, "First Maza, now this."

"Yes," Matt answered, "I don't think that Brendan is entirely responsible for his actions Captain. He was in mourning, and the Mage likely manipulated him in a fashion that he normally wouldn't listen to."

"He still committed the murders," Chavez pointed out.

"True, but then who will a judge more likely to convict? An evil sorcerer out to conquer the world? Or a mousy man who normally screams at the sight of a mouse?" Matt asked.

"The sorcerer," Chavez sighed, "You know Bluestone, when I first joined the force, these things were much simpler. Someone committed a crime, we caught them, and they were found guilty or innocent. Now we have evil gargoyles battling good gargoyles. Corporate CEOs with complex plans of world domination that legally keep them in the clear. Evil sorcerers trying to destroy everybody. What's next detective? Smurfs selling candy on the street?"

"Don't jinx the city, Captain," Matt warned.

Chavez didn't know whether to put her head down on her desk or laugh.

**Eyrie Building**

"Amazing," Xanatos said as he looked at the hologramatic blueprints of the now robotic Brendan Yale.

"Yes," Owen answered dryly, "Mr. Yale is now one complex machine. He can draw all the power he needs by burning food and beverages in a furnace in his 'stomach cavity'. He has two sets of laser canons on his arms. One on each bicep and one on each forearm. His eyes are capable of scanning through any material, with the exception of anything created by magic. The hydraulic systems in his arms and legs are quite compact, but apparently strong enough to allow him to lift the Eyrie Building from its foundation. His robotic body is made out of some sort of metal, similar to the metal made from the Cauldron of Life; it is immune to almost all forms of magic. It is also lined with large sums of Titanium and other transition metals. His auditory sensors can probably also pick up anything within a thousand square miles. He probably even can hear us talking, sir."

"Fascinating, can he be duplicated?" Xanatos asked.

"Not to the same extent, sir," Owen answered, "The software in his 'brain' are far beyond anything that we can produce. All of the metal from the Cauldron of Life is going into producing the new Coyote robot, and the sensor and power systems seem to have their abilities fueled by magic. Nothing Xanatos Enterprises has can compete with what the Mage has created."

"Pity," Xanatos answered, "An exact duplicate of the new Brendan Yale would provide the perfect opportunity for profit! Think of it! We could sell the army the ultimate warrior, while we could beat 'Mr. Clean' with the ultimate cleaning robot."

"Yes," Owen said with a slight smile.

"No one is duplicating me," Brendan said, coming into the room.

"No one is," Xanatos answered quickly, "We were just speculating as to what we could do if we could."

"Oh," Brendan answered.

**Macbeth's Mansion, Dusk**

The clan awoke with roars of both anger and fear, since none of them knew if Demona was still there. Goliath quickly got to his feet and ran toward Elisa.

"My love, are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Elisa answered, "But I'll tell you that I've had better nights."

Goliath nodded.

"Demona's gone Goliath," Brooklyn said, "Someone transported her away last night before Macbeth could kill her."

Goliath looked to Macbeth, whose soul was still inside the body of Thailog.

"You will have your revenge, Macbeth," Goliath said, "I assure you."

"Let's worry about that when it happens," Macbeth said, "Let's go get that syringe to Xanatos. It fell into a drain pipe when Demona attacked. Hopefully it wasn't broken."

The syringe luckily, wasn't broken. Lexington, Angela, and Broadway were waiting for them on the roof. Hudson was stretching on the ground below them.

"We must give this syringe to Xanatos before Demona attacks again," Goliath said, "Xanatos must also be warned that she has created a Steel Demona Clan."

Goliath received nods from the rest of the clan, and soon they all leaped into the air.

It took them only a short while to arrive at the Eyrie Building. They were greeted by a very excited Bronx and another being that they didn't recognize. A robotic human.

"The Mage has turned Brendan Yale into a robot," came a voice.

The clan in both gasps of shock and with their eyes as big as saucers turned to the voice to see Matt Bluestone come out onto the battlements.

When Matt saw the body of Thailog, he pulled out his gun and aimed it at him, "Goliath! Thailog's BEHIND YOU!"

"Only Thailog's body," Lex explained, "Demona and Sevarius created some way to remove someone's soul from their body, without using a fey soul transference spell, and used it on Macbeth."

"Demona used this syringe in her attack," Goliath explained, holding up the syringe.

"So let me guess, Macbeth's soul is controlling Thailog's body?" Matt asked.

"Bingo," Broadway answered, "Now how did Brendan Yale become a robot?"

"I was mad with grief over my wife's murder by the Quarrymen, and I got tricked by this guy called 'the Mage' into being turned into a robot," Brendan answered.

"Like he turned me into a gargoyle," Elisa answered, her eyes glowing red.

"Who are you?" Brendan asked.

"Elisa Maza, Detective, Second Class, NYPD," Elisa answered, "At least I was. Right now, and probably forever, I'm Elisa Maza, gargoyle, mate to Goliath."

"Who's Goliath?" Brendan asked, stepping back nervously.

"I am," the large male lavender gargoyle answered stepping forward, "This is my clan. From left to right there is Bronx, Brooklyn, Hudson, Broadway, Angela, myself, Elisa, and Lexington. Detective Bluestone is a friend of our clan, and Xanatos and his family are some of the clan's few allies. Now we must get this syringe to Xanatos so it can be examined."

**Warehouse Near the East Manhattan Docks, Dusk**

Princess Catherine and Tom stood relatively close to were Ophelia and Gabriel stood. As the sun went down, the two statues cracked open and the gargoyles within awoke and roared into the night.

"Where are we?" Gabriel asked.

"We're in Manhattan," Tom answered stepping forward from Catherine's side, "Oberon's long time enemy 'The Mage' has left Avalon completely in the dark as to what goes on outside it. Oberon and Titania are here to help fight him, and we have been brought along to help them."

"Can you fight a wizard, Guardian?" Ophelia asked.

"We'll soon find out!" Tom said.

"If you are ready, we must now go to Castle Wyvern," Oberon announced, coming out of the shadows, "I must converse with Puck."

"Wyvern? Isn't that where Angela is?" Ophelia and Gabriel asked in unison.

"Yes," Princess Catherine answered.

**Castle Wyvern**

"Yup, this would be an effective equal to a soul transference spell," Puck confirmed, "But since your body was mutilated, I don't believe we can put you back together again."

"I can't look like this," Macbeth growled, "Goliath himself said that this was the body of his evil clone. I refuse to live in it."

"And so you shall not!" Puck answered with a grin. Puck then began to chant:

"Noble Macbeth of ancient lore,

unable to go to the way he was before,

become your own gargoyle now,

and please don't have a cow!"

At the conclusion of the spell, emerald energy wrapped itself around Macbeth. When it faded the body of Thailog was gone, and the body of a whole new gargoyle stood there. Overall the body was grey, but both the outside and inside of its bat-like wings was black. Macbeth's eyes, nose, and mouth remained largely unchanged, except for the fact that his lower fangs protruded over his upper lip. His brow ridge and horns were almost identical to Hudson's. In the new form that Puck had given him, Macbeth was now slightly shorter than Goliath, and had much more athletic build than Goliath did.

Macbeth was wearing an outfit similar to what he normally wore as a human. He wore a large overcoat, with large holes in the back for his wings. A silver breastplate covered his chest. While he was still wearing a black loin cloth however.

Goliath watched his clan marvel at Macbeth's new form. He also noted the old Scottish King's reaction to it. It was apparent to him that Macbeth, despite Puck's help, and Goliath's invitation to join the clan, was quite uncomfortable with the situation. Goliath so far said nothing on the matter. His mind was dwelling on the information that he had gathered from Matt as to what happened to Brendan Yale. The story had brought back old memories from when his clan was put into its great one-thousand year sleep.

'_Stone? At night? What sorcery is this?!'_

'_Sorcery indeed! And now you will join them!'_

'_Grrrr.'_

'_Princess?'_

'_Oh Magus, what have ye done?'_

'_I thought you were dead your highness. I was mad with grief and…'_

'_Reverse the spell. BRING THEM BACK!'_

'_I can't! The page with the counter spell was burned!'_

Brendan Yale was now a modern testament to the consequences of anger over the loss of a loved one. While Goliath and the clan had no particular interest in Margot Yale, and Elisa may even have hated the woman, because of her continuously anti-gargoyle views, Goliath doubted that Margot Yale deserved what she received. The only difference that Goliath did note between the death of Margot Yale to Brendan, and the 'death' of Princess Catherine to the Magus was the end result. The Magus's revenge left Goliath alone. Brendan Yale's revenge left him alone.

Goliath moved from his position toward Macbeth first.

"What will you do now, Macbeth?" Goliath asked.

"I don't know," Macbeth answered, "I don't think I can live the type of life you live. I can't join your clan. I'm sorry. But, I will stay until Demona and this Mage are defeated."

"Thank you my friend," Goliath replied.

Goliath then turned toward Brendan. The robotic human was still shorter than Goliath and he stepped backward nervously as Goliath came closer.

"I hope your want for revenge is over?" Goliath asked.

"I never really wanted revenge," Brendan replied, "I was just overcome with grief that I was lashing out at anything."

"You must control your grief at all times," Goliath warned, "Many years ago another man became mad with grief and cast a spell that caused my clan to sleep until Xanatos brought us here. Your grief has already left you a humanoid robot for life."

"I don't want to be this way," Brendan moaned.

"But if the Mage did do this, it is impossible for you to return," Goliath said.

"I know," Brendan sighed, "I'm stuck in the form of a robotic monster for life. I can't go anywhere. Your kind could go to any Halloween party or some of those alternative voodoo clubs and be accepted, but no one's going to accept me as I am now."

"You could remain in the castle," Elisa offered, coming up behind Goliath, "We've seen our fair share of robots and my family is also no stranger to weirdness. Although I'm not really sure my folks are entirely okay with me being a gargoyle now. It's been a month since I've heard from them."

Brendan looked down, and then looked up again, "I guess I could stay here for awhile. I don't know if I can be of much help."

Goliath put his hand on Brendan's shoulder, "In time, you will get used to who and what you are. The clan and I are quite willing to help."

Then a sudden flash of light erupted through the room. When it cleared, Puck, Xanatos, and Fox were suddenly back in the room. They and the clan were arranged in a circle around six figures. Those figures were Oberon, Titania, Princess Catherine, Tom, Gabriel and Ophelia.

Oberon then spoke in a commanding voice, "The war between us and the Mage is escalating."

…**To Be Continued**


	3. War's End

All the characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyright Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder. All original characters are the property of SN.

Note: I'm disregarding the events in the "Goliath Chronicles", with the exception of "The Journey" because I do not wish to use the rest of the "Goliath Chronicles" as canon to my story. This story takes place immediately after "Revenge and Anger".

War's End

By SN/TVfan

Email: Sam_Nary

**Castle Wyvern**

Oberon, Titania, Catherine, Tom, Ophelia, and Gabriel stood in front of a bewildered clan, Xanatos family, and few new faces. Among the new faces were Matt Bluestone, the robotic Brendan Yale, and the now gargoyle Macbeth.

"The Mage has escalated the war between himself and my race," Oberon stated, "We must deal with him now, before my race is destroyed, and both human and gargoyle races are enslaved."

Catherine and Tom looked around the assembled gathering. She recognized Goliath and his clan, the Xanatos family, and Puck, but there were a few she didn't recognize. Two were gargoyles and the third was a robotic human. One gargoyle was a tan female gargoyle standing close to Goliath and eyeing Oberon with an obvious look of mistrust. The other gargoyle was grey and standing close to Hudson and Puck. The robot seemed to be the most nervous and stood about five feet behind Goliath.

"I'm sorry to interrupt the battle plans," Catherine announced, and then gesturing to the faces she didn't recognize, "But who are ye?"

Oberon and Titania said nothing. Tom, Gabriel and Ophelia nodded to Catherine in agreement. The tan female stepped forward first.

"Why Princess, I'd thought you'd remember me? The first woman cop you met?" the gargoyle said, "Although I was a human at the time!"

Catherine, Tom, Gabriel, and Ophelia gasped, "Elisa?"

"Yes," Elisa answered, "The Mage has been operating some secret plan that has so far involved both the Quarrymen and Demona. As part of it, I ended up getting a wedding present I didn't expect."

"You and Goliath look good together," Gabriel commented, "Is this permanent?"

"Seems that way, but no one knows for sure, yet," Goliath responded.

The grey gargoyle stepped forward next, "I, like Elisa, have also suffered at a villain's trickery. Demona and Sevarius somehow created a serum that works in the same fashion as one of Puck's soul transference spells. I was once Macbeth. Now I'm Macbeth's soul in a gargoyle body."

"Much seems to have happened since they left Avalon," Tom commented.

"Aye," Catherine responded, "So who is the robot?"

Brendan didn't answer. Matt Bluestone came up to Princess Catherine with a shy yet 'I'll explain this' look on his face.

"You're Princess Catherine, right? The first ruler of this castle?" Matt asked.

"I was not the first to rule here, but yes, I am Princess Catherine. This is my husband Tom, and these are Gabriel and Ophelia. They are two of the gargoyles that live on Avalon."

"Yes, I've heard a lot about you," Matt replied with a weak smile, "Anyway, I'm a detective like Elisa, and I was sent to investigate a run amok robot. That robot there is really the human Brendan Yale. He was mourning his wife's death, and Demona and the Mage tricked him into giving up his humanity."

"I see the Mage still enjoys tormenting mortals," Oberon noted, "Although this is the first instance in our war in which he hasn't killed someone."

"He's attacked humans before?" Matt asked.

"Yes, the Mage is not one allow competitors," Titania answered, "He killed three dozen human wizards in the middle ages. Although he trained the Archmage, after a time, both wizards began to oppose each other."

"Then why didn't he kill the Archmage?" Brooklyn asked.

"Because the Mage still had plans for his former pupil," Oberon answered, "His death in his attempt to conquer Avalon was probably the Mage's greatest defeat in our war."

"Why are you here?" Xanatos asked.

"Last night, the Mage cast a spell that destroyed every mirror on Avalon," Titania answered, "My husband and I have come, because if we didn't, all Avalon would be in the dark as to what is going on here."

"There is also some concern as to whether or not our first line of defense is capable of handling the task of fighting the Mage," Oberon added, glaring at Puck.

"The Mage has joined forces with Demona," Goliath said, "I feel I should warn you that she is now helping him."

"I know that," Oberon shrugged, "I also know about Demona's failed attempt to kill you with her own robot doppelgangers. I saw her leave with them through one of Avalon's mirrors before the Mage destroyed them."

"What are we going to do?" Angela asked nervously.

"All we can do right now is wait," Titania answered, "Oberon and I will not be able to fully sense the Mages movements for a little while, and we do know that the Mage will intend to attack theEyrie Building."

"What?" Xanatos demanded.

"The Mage knows that I like to be informed on everything that goes on in both the mortal and fey realms," Oberon replied, "By destroying the mirrors on Avalon, he removed my ability to do that without risking myself. The Mage knows I will come to the mortal realm to regain that ability. The Mage also knows that Owen Burnett is really Puck. Therefore he knows that as King of the Fey, I will have to confer with one of my children."

"When will he attack?" Xanatos asked again.

"Soon, probably before sunrise," Titania responded.

"I better get the Steel Clan ready," Xanatos grumbled, "And my iron exo-suit. If this guy can turn Detective Maza into a gargoyle and Mr. Yale into a robot with the flick of his wrist, I don't think I can take chances."

Xanatos turned and walked toward the end of the castle.

"I'd better go with him," Fox said turning to follow her husband.

Goliath then stepped forward, "I will take my clan to the tower and battlements. We will watch for the Mage."

Goliath turned and headed for the windows of the room. His clan and the robotic Brendan Yale followed. Catherine and Tom motioned for Gabriel and Ophelia to join them. Once they had left Oberon and Titania focused their attention on the three people that remained in the room.

**Unknown Location**

Demona woke slowly. Pain flowed through her entire body. Yet also she could feel something else effecting her. She felt as if she weren't in control of herself. The Mage walked up in front of her.

"I've cast a new spell on you," the Mage said, "Hopefully your anger against Goliath and his clan is now gone. However, you are now a human forever, and my direct slave."

Demona tried to gasp or protest, but found she could do neither.

"I had great hopes for you Demona," the Mage continued, "I hoped that once the third race was gone, you and I could rule the world together, but I guess your anger was just to much to look forward, eh?"

Demona only watched him. She tried to curse him. She tried to yell at him. But every effort was in vain.

"But then I did get part of what I wanted," the Mage chuckled, "You're now trapped in human form for the rest of your immortal life! That's what you get for disobeying me!"

If Demona could have screamed she would have. She entered the deal to be the Mage's partner. Not his servant. The Mage had betrayed her. The Mage had manipulated her. Just the way Thailog had done before. She silently remembered his betrayal.

'Now, now. That's your friend's genetic makeup you're insulting. Of course they are a bit primitive. I kept their programming simple: obey Thailog. It's all they really need to know. But enough about me. It's time to get rid of all you, starting with her.'

'No! She belongs to me.'

'My dear, you've known she was your daughter since before we staged your capture, and you've still been unable to turn her.'

'You knew the whole time?!'

'I had to make you understand.'

'I understand perfectly. All this was a charade staged to turn me against my father, to trap and destroy my clan. You are capable of anything. I hate you.'

'You see? You're better off without her.'

'No!'

'You disappoint me, my dear. Fortunately, I've prepared for such a development. Delilah!'

'Yes, master Thailog?'

'Look familiar, my ex-love? I combined your DNA with that of the human, Elisa Maza, to create Delilah. She's the perfect programmed companion, obedient and lovely. She'll do anything for me. Destroy them, Delilah.'

'As you command.'

These memories also brought a wave of sadness to her heart. Despite all her evil that she held toward humans, despite all the anger she had for Goliath and his clan, she loved Angela. Demona remembered the anger that she saw in Angela's eyes when she realized that she had been tricked by her own mother. As the Mage gloated about his victory over her, Demona's psyche cried.

After five minutes of laughing, the Mage left the room. The magically enslaved Demona followed.

"Now your actions last night were quite disobedient," the Mage chuckled, "But given what we must do now to win, I believe your Steel Demona robots will prove quite useful. They will at least keep Xanatos and his robotic minions out of my hair."

"Yes, Mage," Demona answered, as if in a trance.

"Come with me," the Mage ordered, "I'll teach you how to create things out of thin air. We can't have you transforming the cars that I just replaced."

**Eyrie Building, Steel Clan Storage Center**

Xanatos typed on various computer panels. If Demona had created robotic doppelgangers of her gargoyle form, Xanatos was certain that they either had the firepower or the shielding to defeat the Steel Clan. The programs that Xanatos was downloading into the Steel Clan's computers were essentially no more than tactical maneuvers and strategies. Xanatos hoped that the Steel Clan could outthink the Steel Demonas instead of outfighting them.

"I can't believe this is happening!" Fox announced coming up beside him, "First the Quarrymen a month ago, and now some power mad wizard."

"Well look at this from the clan's point of view Fox," Xanatos smirked back, "Five years ago for them it was: very shrewd business men, the Quarrymen, the third race, the Hunters, evil robots, Demona, and evil sorcerers. From their point of view, the number of bad guys has gone down."

Fox looked down, "I can't believe you can be confident about all this. You could be killed."

Xanatos sighed, "Speaking of which, I want you and Alex to take a helicopter out to Xandu. You'll be safe there. I'll have it ready in a few minutes, and two Steel Clan robots will escort you."

"Come with us," Fox pleaded, "This isn't like your old schemes were if you loose, Goliath will let you go, because he is the hero. If the Mage wins he will kill you."

"I owe the clan, Fox," Xanatos answered, "I owe them for saving our son. It's debt I can probably never fully repay. If Oberon and the gargoyles plan to battle the Mage and Demona here, I will fight with them. It's the least I can do. Besides, I have a feeling that this will attract a lot of attention from the press and others. I may even end up in jail again! Who knows? But one thing is for sure, if I were to come with you, the cops, the press would flock to Xandu as soon as they learned that I wasn't at the Eyrie. Do you want to deal with that?"

"Then I will stay," Fox sighed, "I can take anything Demona or this Mage can through at us."

Xanatos smiled, "I have no doubts about your capabilities, my darling. But, I need you to protect Alex, and to make sure he doesn't get caught in the crossfire."

Fox turned and walked away toward the room's elevators. She knew Xanatos was right. He didn't doubt what she could do. But he also still feels the debt he has to Goliath's clan. He has great love for their son. As Fox stepped into the elevator, a single tear rolled down her check as she worried if she would ever see her husband again.

Meanwhile, up in Castle Wyvern's Great Hall, Oberon, Titania, Puck, Catherine, and Tom were preparing themselves. Titania magically produced a bow and a quiver of arrows.

"These arrows are magical in nature, and should be able to penetrate anything," Titania said, handing them to Catherine, "I trust you know how to use this?"

"I do, but it was only something the soldiers taught me when I was still a little girl," Catherine answered, "I have not touched these since."

"Then perhaps some practice is in order!" Titania said slyly.

Princess Catherine took them with a heavy sigh. Part of her was curious as to why she was even in fight to begin with. The soldiers only taught her archery because she happened to stumble upon them while they were training. She also remembered her father scolding her for running off and mixing with the peasantry. Catherine had no skill for archery either. The soldiers had only taught her the basics, and when she did get to shoot her first arrow, it only went five feet from the point from which she was standing. She could understand Tom being here to fight. He had become the Guardian of the Eggs. He had a suit of armor. He had a sword. Catherine noted that the peasant boy she married had become quite the knight over the years.

While Catherine slung the quiver over her shoulder, and went off in search of some place to practice, Oberon moved toward Tom.

As soon as the fey king was a few feet away from him, Tom heard Oberon chant:

"Gargoyle's knight,

in the upcoming battle you must fight,

must your armor protect you,

strengthen by magic, so it's good as new."

When the emerald energy died down, Tom looked down to see that his armor had gained a significant amount of luster. It almost looked as if it sparkled.

"Your armor should now be strong enough to protect you from the worst spells the Mage will be willing to use against you," Oberon said, "You may LEAVE now."

Tom sighed and walked out. To some extent he wondered why he and Catherine remained on Avalon. Goliath and his clan were awake again. They were relatively safe. Even before this business with the Mage, Tom had thoughts of taking Oberon's 'honor guard' and returning them to their proper clan, and maybe getting Catherine and himself a chance at a normal life. He then sighed to himself, "Once a peasant. Always a peasant."

Oberon watched the Guardian leave in the same direction Catherine left.

"Well now that you've chased everyone else away," Puck said, "What do you want with me?"

**Devil's Den Prison**

Castaway sat on the bench in his cell. He sat there miserable and defeated. He couldn't believe it. One month ago he had been on top of the world. Now he was trapped in prison for the rest of his life. Worst of all, his cell mate was an annoying gangster.

"So, Mr. Castaway, heard you caused them gargoyles a lot of trouble last month?" Dracon asked, "Saw it on prison TV. Not like we'll be watching much here."

"Shut up," Castaway growled.

"No really," Dracon answered, "When they moved me here they said that prisoners here would not get television. I think it's some form of encouragement. If we ever get out, since we don't know anything about what's happened, I think they're either hoping that we make the same mistakes again, or we become extra cautious."

"Do you ever shut up?" Castaway growled.

"Did you ever kill a gargoyle?" Dracon asked back.

Castaway sighed, and put his face in his hands. "This is going to be a long life sentence," he thought.

**Unknown Location**

The Mage had led Demona to the roof of the building that he had "borrowed" from the vacationing owners. He surveyed the surrounding area. There were no cars in the vicinity.

"Now Demona, creating things out of thin air requires more concentration that simply transforming something else, but it must be done if our cover is to be kept," the Mage said.

The Mage chanted clearly and slowly in Latin, letting Demona take it all in. Once the chant ended twenty Steel Demona robots appeared out of nowhere.

"See, it's not to difficult," the Mage said, "But you must concentrate."

"Yes, Mage," Demona answered.

**Castle Wyvern**

Xanatos had gathered the Steel Clan in Wyvern's courtyard before the helicopter with Fox and Alex departed for Xandu. He was wearing his armor, and there wasn't much more he could do to prepare for the Mage's attack.

"Be careful," Fox said.

"Always am," Xanatos answered.

Xanatos watched the helicopter take off. After he turned, he saw Oberon and Titania come out onto the courtyard. Each raised an arm and commanded, "Freeze."

Emerald energy shot from their fingers, and Xanatos could hear the sounds of cracking ice echo throughout Manhattan.

"What did you do?" Xanatos demanded.

"We have insured that no mortal who is not part of this battle can be affected by the battle," Oberon answered, "Once the Mage dies, they will be freed."

"What if we fail?" Xanatos asked.

"We must not fail then, should we?" Oberon questioned.

Xanatos sighed.

Above them on Castle Wyvern's towers Goliath and the clan watched and waited. Elisa stood close to Goliath. Macbeth stood near Hudson. Gabriel and Ophelia stood near Angela and Broadway.

"We miss you on Avalon, Angela," Ophelia commented.

"I miss you guys too sometimes," Angela replied, "But I've come to like it here."

"Can I tell you a secret?" Ophelia asked, pulling Angela away from Broadway and herself stepping away from Gabriel.

"Sure," Angela answered.

"Gabriel and I are engaged," Ophelia said shyly, "Don't be mad. We didn't want to announce it to you this way, but the way things are it's the only way."

Angela smiled, "I'm not mad. I'm not jealous either."

Ophelia blinked, "Jealous?"

"I'm not," Angela answered, and then motioned toward Broadway, "I already have a mate."

"So, uh, how long as Detective Maza been a, uh, gargoyle?" Gabriel asked.

"A little more than a month," Broadway answered.

"She acts like she's been one all her life," Gabriel noted.

"As far as Goliath's concerned, she has," Broadway answered.

Gabriel only chuckled.

Brendan Yale meanwhile stood near Matt Bluestone, not on the towers, but on another portion of the battlements.

"Are you afraid?" Brendan asked.

"Nah, Elisa and I have helped the clan fight some pretty mean battles before," Matt answered, "This should be a cakewalk."

"I wish I had your confidence," Brendan replied, "Even in this body, and with all the high-tech weaponry Mr. Xanatos says I have, I'm afraid."

"Hopefully with the clans help, you won't be afraid of these things anymore," Matt answered.

Goliath and Elisa watched the horizon intently.

"Do you think Demona has anymore of those Demona robots?" Elisa asked.

"Probably," Goliath answered, "I am more concerned as to the Mage's tactics. What if he waits till just before dawn? That way even if the Demona robots don't prove to be as affective as he thinks, the sun will rise soon after his attack and we will turn to stone."

"That won't be a problem," Puck said coming up behind them from no where, "Now that I've got my full power back I can sense his movements. He's already on his way."

Matt heard several computer like humming noises coming from the robotic Brendan Yale.

"What's going on?" Matt asked.

"My radar has picked up his movements," Brendan answered, "The Mage is coming. He has about five-hundred other flying things with him. He is less than a mile away, and is only just above the roof tops in an northeasterly direction."

Matt looked in the direction that Brendan described. Sure enough, he caught sight of something that terrified him. While he couldn't make out the Mage or Demona, or any of the other things that were flying around them, he could tell that the Mage had brought a virtual army.

Xanatos watched the approach from his exo-suit with a great degree of nervousness.

"There aren't enough Steel Clan robots to fight them all," Xanatos commented, "And Brendan Yale and I are hardly enough to make up the difference."

"You must be confident, Mr. Xanatos," Titania warned, "The Mage has been a great villain in history because few have ever felt confident enough to fight him."

"Besides," Oberon added with a smirk, "There was a time when you relished in such combat."

"Only when I was the one doing the obliterating," Xanatos retorted, "And ever since Goliath's clan helped me save my son from you, even though they didn't have to, I've been realizing just how wrong I was to think that way."

"So you've been taking lessons from Goliath then?" Oberon teased, "About being a hero?"

Xanatos chose to ignore Oberon at that point. Pulling his wrist toward the helmet of his armor, he activated a series of voice command systems directly linked to the Eyrie Building's self defense mechanisms.

"Computer active the Armageddon Lockdown program," Xanatos ordered.

**Over Manhattan**

The Mage had created a hovercraft out of thin air soon after he and Demona had created the five-hundred Steel Demona robots. Trying to move as quickly as possible to get to the EyrieBuilding, before he was discovered, the Mage put the hovercraft to full throttle and charged forward.

"Puck will be destroyed, and I will open the way to Avalon itself," the Mage thought to himself, "Demona and her robot doppelgangers can deal with the clan and Xanatos should they interfere. The only real question is 'what will Oberon do?' But I don't need to worry about him. I can beat him easily."

Demona stood on the other end of the platform. Everything inside her mind was trying to fight what the Mage had done to her. He made her human forever and on top of that cast some sort of spell that made her his slave. It angered her to no end. Her mind continued to reflect on how the deal she made with the Mage turned sour on her and how similar it was to the deal she had once made with Thailog. Even at the memory of the clone's name she became angry.

Her angry memories of Thailog also aroused questions. Thailog attacked her in her office at Nightstone a month ago. But, she had killed Thailog more than three years before. How did he come back to life? Sevarius must have created a new clone. That treacherous snake. I knew I never should have hired him. The only other question that troubled her mind was the fact that Thailog didn't sound like himself. He sounded almost like Macbeth. But, she had killed Macbeth a month ago. With Sevarius's poison. Sevarius! He had said that he could not kill Macbeth body and soul without stripping her of her immortality in the process. He said he could only kill Macbeth's body. The treacherous snake that had betrayed her at Nightstone had tried to warn her.

"You seem awfully quiet Demona," the Mage said, "We are going to Wyvern. Aren't you going to tell me how destroying your ex-mate will help me kill off the third race?"

"No, Mage," Demona answered, the after a few seconds she said, "LOOK!"

The Mage turned to see a massive glowing force field surround the Eyrie Building and Castle Wyvern on top of it. The Mage used his power over magic to test this unexpected defensive measure.

"Damn," the Mage snarled.

"What is it, Mage?" Demona asked.

"Xanatos has designed that force field to protect his building even from Oberon himself," the Mage snarled, "That blasted billionaire is expecting us."

**Castle Wyvern**

"Will your Armageddon Lockdown program hold?" Oberon asked skeptically.

"I don't know," Xanatos said, "It was designed as an improved version of the old one that you got through. I've had Owen add some key elements that are needed to even repel magic, but the programs predominant function is to protect the Eyrie Building from a nuclear attack. This will be its first test against magic."

"What has it been tested against so far?" Titania asked.

"Quarrymen hammers," Xanatos sighed, "The system performed quite well, but it's not exactly that the Quarrymen's hammers are truly formidable weapons."

Above them on another part of the battlements, Catherine and Tom stood together.

"I hope Mr. Xanatos's magic shield stops him," Catherine sighed, "I fear I may hit someone on our side with this thing."

"I have confidence in you, my love," Tom said trying to ease her worries and hide his own, "We will get through this."

Then suddenly, the Mage and Demona, and their created horde of Steel Demonas arrived outside the Eyrie Building's protective force field.

"Now Xanatos, let's see how your technology fares against my magic!" the Mage snarled.

The Mage never noticing the three humans, one robotic human, the clan of gargoyles on Wyvern's tower, and the three Children of Oberon, began chanting in Latin. At the end of his chant a lightning bolt struck from his fingertips and flew toward the force field. Halfway there, the lightning split into three different lightning bolts and struck the force field at three points creating an equilateral triangle. The force field shimmered, but remained in tact.

"Let me try something, Mage," Demona said.

The Mage bowed and let his enslaved 'partner' walk up to the front of the hovercraft. She raised her arms, and then slowly moved them forward. One hundred of her Steel Demonas charged forward and slammed into the force field. They flew in a series of waves to strike the force field in consecutive intervals of ten at a time. This attack proved to be even less successful, because the force field not only held, but it didn't shimmer the way it did when the Mage made his attempt.

"Perhaps we should only use magic, Demona," the Mage observed, "We could destroy all our Steel Demonas that way."

"Yes Mage," Demona answered.

The gargoyles watched the spectacle unfold from the tower.

"Once the shield goes down," Goliath said in a commanding voice, "We are to strike at the Steel Demonas. We must keep as many of them away from Oberon and Titania as possible. Xanatos and the Steel Clan will also be there to help us."

Brooklyn chuckled loudly, "Although, Goliath, if Demona keeps this up, we won't have to fight her robots. She would have done it for us."

"Don't be fooled Brooklyn," Goliath warned, "It is clear to me from the way Oberon and Titania have been acting in regards to this Mage character, that Demona is merely another pawn to him."

"The way Castaway and the Quarrymen were?" Elisa asked.

"Precisely, although I believe the Mage has manipulated Demona differently from the way he used Castaway," Goliath answered.

**Billy Mitchell USAF Reserve Base, Northeast Pennsylvania**

Gregory Irick was your typical military man. Your typical RESERVE military man. He was working as one of the Air Force Reserve's radar operators, while using the money he earned from training to pay for college. After what seemed like an eternity to him, he caught sight of something on his radar screen.

"Captain! Captain! Come quick you gotta see this, sir!" Irick yelled.

"What is it Lieutenant?"

"Look at this," Irick answered back, "Captain, I'm reading hundreds of unknown and unauthorized radar contacts flying around the Eyrie Building in New York."

"Holy cow!" the captain answered, "You have any guess as to what that is?"

"I don't know captain! There are no civilian flights that are scheduled for right now…" Irick said.

"Even if there were Lieutenant, they're not supposed to fly THAT close to buildings," the captain replied.

"Yeah, and pigeons don't make blips on the radar screen THAT big either!" Irick replied.

The captain stared at the screen for a few seconds, and then turned to another lieutenant standing by a far door, "Lieutenant, let Colonel Bridgewater know! Get the pilots up! Get the runway crewmen up! This could be an invasion."

**Castle Wyvern**

The Mage fired another three pronged lightning bolt at the force field that Xanatos had erected. Again the shield held, but it shimmered four times as long as it did the first time.

"It's working," the Mage sneered to himself, "Xanatos you never learn! Technology and science can never beat magic! That's why Oberon was so easily able to attack you before. I have no idea why he didn't carry out his goals."

The Mage had his own memories of that night. Although he was to far away to deal with the problem at first, he could feel Oberon's attack on the Eyrie Building. He could sense Oberon's objective to steel the infant Alex Xanatos. Had the pilot of his plane not fallen asleep at the time of the attack, the Mage felt that he might have been able to force the battle against Oberon that he needed with both the gargoyle clan and Xanatos on his side. Unfortunately, the pilot did go to sleep, and the Mage had to guide the plane by magic into New Jersey before everyone woke up. After all that, and traversing to Manhattan by his own means, he had found Oberon gone. Alex Xanatos with his folks, and the gargoyles back in their clock tower.

Now, because of that failure, he had to battle all three together. That's why he enlisted Demona in the first place. Xanatos would want Demona out of the way first, therefore helping his business interests. Goliath and his clan would want to stop Demona first because of her hatred for humanity, and because they had a natural mistrust of the third race. Now they still may turn on him, because it is likely that Oberon mentioned that he was not only out to kill the third race, but their halflings as well. That would mean killing young Alexander, whom the gargoyles had befriended.

The Mage found that odd. He had followed the Manhattan clan's struggle during his years searching for the third racelings. He knew of Xanatos's manipulation of the clan when they first awakened. He knew of Demona's betrayal. He knew how much of an enemy Xanatos had been to the clan and the human, now gargoyle, Elisa Maza. The Mage found it odd that these noble creatures would return to live in the castle owned by one of their worst enemies and befriend his son.

Personally, the Mage felt that Xanatos had found someway to manipulate them. The Mage had been there to see the Napoleonic Wars. The World Wars. The American Revolution. The American Civil War. During his years of questing to gain his own world domination the Mage had witnessed generals from both sides fight many wars. Because of this, the Mage had gained an ability to judge people they way he expected them, they way any general on the battlefield would. Xanatos was manipulative and scheming business man. He wasn't necessarily evil, as in Adolf Hitler evil, but he was shrewd. He did care little about those who were his employees. He found it hard to believe that a man who the clan had fought for so long, would suddenly become their guardian and ally.

The Mage chanted his lightning spell again. This time the three lightning bolts went straight through the force field and hit the side of the Eyrie Building. The strike shattered glass and brick which fell to the ground below.

"The Mage has broken your technology," Oberon said coldly, "Now it is our turn to prove our mastery of all things magical, once and for all."

Xanatos watched Oberon and Titania chant in unison:

"Nemesis of the Third Race,

you've come here and attacked with great haste,

fall before us now,

as blood pours down your brow!"

Suddenly and large golden dagger appeared out of nowhere, directly behind the Mage. As he turned to see what the two fey had done, the dagger surged forward and struck his brow, cutting through the hood of his robe in the process. The blow knocked him off of the hovercraft and he fell. Using his powers over magic, the Mage was able to move himself into angled descent. His body fell and slammed into the ground of Castle Wyvern's courtyard.

Demona watched Oberon's attack on the Mage and she watched the Mage's fall to the courtyard. A fall that would normally kill a human and seriously injure a gargoyle. To her astonishment, the Mage got up with only a few drops of blood dripping down his forehead, caused by Oberon's magical dagger.

"Steel Demonas attack the clan! Don't let them help the fey!" Demona yelled.

At the sound of her voice her Steel Demonas attacked.

"Time to start the show," Xanatos chuckled and took off, the rest of the Steel Clan behind him.

"Here we go again," Brooklyn sighed as the gargoyles leapt from the tower to join the battle.

"Four hundred against only us," Matt sighed, "I better get some serious hazard pay for this!"

Matt pulled out the laser pistol that Xanatos had 'given' him. Technically, Xanatos did want the weapon back, but Matt hadn't returned it yet. He took careful aim and fired at one of the Steel Demonas The robot exploded the instant his laser hit it.

"Here goes nothing," Brendan sighed, activating his own laser cannons.

Brendan fired four shots. One from each cannon. Four Demona robots exploded. Unfortunately, fifty Demona robots then focused themselves onto the robotic human and police detective. They opened fire with both their wrist lasers and their optics lasers. Much of the battlements around them was destroyed, and Matt had to dive to avoid getting hit by one of the laser blasts. As he dove he fired five more shots. Three Steel Demonas exploded and the remaining two shots went harmlessly into space.

Brendan found himself hovering in midair after the Steel Demonas fired on him and Matt. He looked himself over and saw that there wasn't even a scratch on him.

"Huh, the Mage made my armor stronger than Xanatos said it was," Brendan thought to himself.

He fired four more shots from his laser cannons. Four more Demona robots exploded.

**Castle Wyvern, Main Courtyard**

The Mage got up smiling.

"A dagger at my brow, Oberon?" he sneered, "You must truly be an idiot! A general who could do that would go for the kill shot immediately!"

The Mage fired one of his three pronged lightning bolts. Oberon deflected one that bounced off into the air, taking out a Steel Demona robot. Titania took out another one, which bounced off and hit the hovercraft that Demona still stood on. The third missed, and blew a hole in the far wall.

"I normally prefer to spare my foes a defeat in face to face combat," Oberon replied, "But given your hatred for my people, and the fact that you are stupid enough to believe that the human race and the gargoyle clans will flock to you, when most of the human population still doesn't even believe gargoyles exist, I think I'll make an exception."

"Damn fairy!" the Mage growled, "Demona to me!"

"Yes Mage," Demona called, and then transported herself to a position behind Titania.

"Say goodbye to your wife," the Mage sneered.

In that instant, Demona produced an iron dagger from the sleeve of her white robe and stabbed Titania in the back. Titania screamed with pain, and Oberon quickly disengaged from the Mage and moved to his wife. With strength that he rarely used, and few knew he had, he back handed Demona, who flew across the courtyard.

"My love, are you alright?" Oberon asked, pulling the dagger out.

Titania's wounds quickly began to heal, and she sighed, "I am fine my lord."

Catherine and Tom watched the exchange between the Mage and Oberon.

"He's mad," Tom exclaimed.

"Aye, I don't know how even Demona can work with him!" Catherine answered.

Just then two Steel Demona robots landed on each side of them. Tom glared at one, and Catherine yelped in surprise. Tom moved first, raising his sword over his head, and then bringing it down on one robot. The heavy sword cut straight through the robot's head and body.

When Tom turned around, he found that Catherine was not in a very good situation. She successfully fired an arrow, but it hit the robot in knee, and only seemed to make it mad.

"Tom, help me!" Catherine cried.

Tom rushed to counter the wounded robot. With a desperate swing of his sword he was able to cut a large gash in the robots head. The Steel Demona did not stop, but it paused, as if it felt pain. Tom took full advantage of this pause to stab the robot in the chest. With that it fell to the ground. The Steel Demonas still had great numbers however, and another two came flying down, firing their lasers as they went. Catherine was able to avoid getting hit, but two laser bolts struck Tom's armor, sending him flying through a large pair of oak doors.

"Tom!" Catherine screamed running after him.

**Above Castle Wyvern**

Xanatos lead the Steel Clan directly in a frontal assault against the Steel Demona robots. He charged directly for the hovercraft that Demona was standing. He and the Steel Clan fired a wide barrage of laser fire at the surrounding Steel Demonas, and Xanatos could hear the sounds of explosions all around him. By the time he reached the hovercraft, he found that Demona had already transported down to the castle's courtyard.

"Well, let's see what sort of weapons Demona and the Mage put into this thing," Xanatos sighed to himself, and began typing on one of the hovercraft's key pads, only stopping for fire his own laser cannons at any Steel Demona that came close.

His typing was frantic. The hovercraft contained no programmable controls for these Steel Demonas. That meant that they were obviously controlled by Demona or the Mage's magic. The attention that they paid to the robots, the more powerful the robots were. He watched the performance of his Steel Clan. Again he found them to be a much better fighting force than they had ever been in the past. Each Steel Clan member was taking out four Steel Demonas for every Steel Clan member lost. Xanatos sighed at the fact that he only had twenty Steel Clan robots to begin with, while there were still hundreds of Steel Demonas.

"This is going to be a long night," Xanatos thought to himself.

The clan was meanwhile coming to similar conclusions that Xanatos had. Goliath found this time around that it was far easier to maintain flight and avoid being hit by the Steel Demona's lasers. He caught one by the head, and in a singular motion, ripped the head off. He then proceeded to swing the robot by the tail; destroying five other Steel Demona's around him.

Goliath took a brief pause to see how Ophelia and Gabriel were doing. Neither had ever faced Xanatos's Steel Clan before, so they had no previous experience to draw on against these Steel Demonas. He saw that Gabriel's shoulder had been nicked by one of the Steel Demona's lasers, but the wound wasn't deep, and Gabriel proceeded to sink his talons into the offending robot's neck.

Ophelia had meanwhile copied a move Goliath remembered using to destroy a Steel Clan robot in the clan's first battles against Xanatos. She had managed to get onto its back and used her strength to maneuver the robot's wings the way she wanted. She guided the robot into another Steel Demona that was coming to intercept her.

Goliath heard the sounds of a jet engine coming up behind him. Fearing it was another Steel Demona, he turned and nearly struck the robotic Brendan Yale. Goliath watched him fire his own laser cannons in fast succession, taking out various Steel Demonas as he went.

"What your back, Goliath," Brendan advised.

Goliath smiled, remembering one of the clan's last battles with the Vikings before the massacre, "Watch your own."

**Billy Mitchell USAF Reserve Base, Northeast Pennsylvania**

Soldiers and runway workers scrambled across the various concrete runways as the first of three F-16s prepared to take off. Among America's foremost fighters, these F-16s were armed to the teeth with sidewinder missiles.

"Falcon One to tower, request permission for take off," the first pilot said.

"Permission granted, pathway is clear," the tower operator.

The pilot then turned his engines on full throttle and the jet jumped forward, quickly approaching take off speed. By the time the second jet was in position to take off the first jet, was already airborne and headed toward New York.

"Falcon Two to tower, request permission for take off," the second pilot repeated.

"Permission granted, pathway is clear."

The second F-16 then took off. And the third aircraft moved into position.

"Falcon Three to tower, request permission for take off."

"Permission granted, pathway is clear."

The tower operators watched the three fighters fly off. They had soon formed an arrowhead formation. The first F-16 led the formation with the other two slightly behind it. One of the two was slightly to the left of the lead fighter, while the other was slightly to the right.

**Castle Wyvern, Main Courtyard**

"You can not win, Mage," Oberon warned.

The fey king then gestured toward the battle above them, "Look at the battle above us! Xanatos's Steel Clan is taking heavy casualties, but is destroying far more Steel Demonas than there are Steel Clan members being destroyed. The gargoyles and the robotic human you created are destroying many others."

The Mage glared at Oberon and Titania.

"That may be true," the Mage snarled, "But they are merely a diversion."

The Mage made some quick chants in Latin. When the chanting ended, parts of the stone flooring of the courtyard yanked itself from the raised foundation that Xanatos set, flew toward Oberon and then, within a foot of his face exploded. The stone splinters knocked Oberon into Titania. The Mage followed that with his three pronged lightning spell, which knocked them into a far wall and held them there.

"Just because you gain power over time," the Mage gloated, "Does not mean that you lose your weaknesses!"

"True, but that doesn't mean we're not ready for you!" came Puck's voice.

The elf-like fey floated up from one of the holes in the courtyard that the Mage had created, wearing a stylized and stupid looking set of boxing gloves.

"What the devil are you supposed to be?" the Mage growled.

"The cavalry!" Puck said, punching the Mage in the face.

To his surprise, the gloves that Puck wore contained magical energies that the Mage didn't sense in Puck. The blow sent him flying, and he landed a few feet in front of Oberon and Titania. He looked up to see the two royal fey standing on one side of him, and Puck standing on the other.

"Wake up Demona!" the Mage yelled.

At the Mage's command, Demona, laying on the ground on the opposite end of the courtyard, began to get up. She saw the Mage trapped between Oberon and Titania and Puck. She chanted in Latin, creating an iron sword in her hands, and then began to run toward Puck with her own memories blazing in her mind.

'Aahh! I told you to turn the gargoyles to humans!'

'Oh, you meant these gargoyles. I thought you meant Goliath and his clan. My mistake.'

'Your last mistake.'

As much as Demona had begun to hate the Mage for his manipulation and trickery of her, she did feel a bit of relief that she would get to kill Puck. The fey had had caused her the most trouble, and probably opened the door to Goliath and Elisa's relationship. A relationship that Demona's mind dwelled on, and was determined to destroy.

**The Battlements**

Matt Bluestone ran in a panicked fashion along the battlements, with at least ten Steel Demonas on his tail. He turned a fired a few shots with the laser pistol, and only destroyed two of his pursuers. The rest fired back. None of the shots were well aimed, and Matt easily avoided them, but he did feel the shockwaves of the exploding stone blocks that made up the castle walls.

Suddenly, laser fire from one of the Steel Demonas destroyed the piece of the battlements that he was standing on, and he found himself teetering on the edge of falling to his death. He heard a panther like cry, as Elisa landed behind him, and yanked him back onto level footing with her tail.

Matt stumbled back to his feet as she watched Elisa battle with his attackers. She seized one by the arms, lifted it above her head and threw it at the other Steel Demona robots. Elisa roared with triumph as the offending robots exploded.

"Note to self," Matt thought, "Don't get that gargoyle or her mate angry!"

Elisa stood on the battlements in front of Matt. This new battle against the Steel Demonas was going much better for the clan than the last one. It might have something to do with the fact that Demona busy trying to help the Mage in a fight that was already determined to be stalemated. She saw that Xanatos and his ten remaining Steel Clan stuck close to the hovercraft that they captured. Around her, her clan engaged other Steel Demona robots. With Demona not controlling them, the clan had so far only suffered a few minor burns. Nothing a day in stone wouldn't cure.

Elisa charged another Steel Demona that was firing at her and Matt. As she got closer the robot took of, and fired its optics lasers at Elisa's back. The impact forced her to he ground, and she could smell her flesh burning. She half expected to feel the Steel Demona hit her again, when another laser blast was fired. Soon afterward, Elisa saw bits of the Steel Demona fall to the ground around her. She turned to see Matt, his laser pistol in hand.

"Now we're even partner," Matt said.

**Inside Castle Wyvern**

Catherine and Tom ran quickly through the interior corridors of the castle. They could hear several Steel Demonas following them.

"We must find one of Xanatos's laser weapons," Tom said, "I can't get close enough to use my sword, and they aren't give you the time you need fire an arrow."

"Aye, and the only arrow I've fired was at point blank range, and I hit it the knee while aiming for its heart!" Catherine sighed.

They quickly turned into another of the castle's passage ways, and Tom began to fuddle with the doors.

"They're locked!" Tom exclaimed.

"That's not the worst of our worries!" Catherine said, "Look!"

Tom turned to see that the three Steel Demonas that were chasing them had now trapped them in the passageway. Catherine fumbled to get another arrow read, as Tom stepped in front of her, hoping that his new armor would protect them. One of the robots fired, and the beam hit Tom's breastplate. The armor protected him, but he was knocked to the ground.

"Ow, my head hurts," Tom mumbled, trying to get back on his feet.

Catherine knew Tom was in pain, but he had bought her time to ready another arrow.

"Evil sorcerers have already cost me one good friend," Catherine growled at the robot, "I can't let ye take another!"

She fired the arrow. This shot had a bit more luck then the last one. It hit a Steel Demona square in the chest, and the robot exploded. Unfortunately, it wasn't the Steel Demona she was aiming at. The exploding robot knocked the center robot, which was the original target, off balance, but the other flanking robot proceeded as if nothing was wrong.

Tom was by now beginning to recover, and saw the approaching robot. He saw its laser cannons begin to warm up.

"NO!" Tom yelled, and he swung his sword out.

Tom's attack cut the robot off from its feet and the rest of its body fell backward, firing its lasers as it fell. The blasts hit the ceiling, and the bricks fell on the wounded robot and the other robot that was finally beginning to regain its balance. Both robots exploded.

"Ye know Tom," Catherine sighed, "I'd rather sit in Avalon's Library and put of with all Oberon's social events that do this."

"Aye," Tom replied in agreement.

**Above Castle Wyvern**

Lexington knew something couldn't be right, as he dodged another laser blast from a Steel Demona robot. These robots were much tougher the night before. In fact the clan had barely won a victory over twelve robots. Now, it looked as if the clan was able to maintain a stalemate with hundreds of them. He noticed that Xanatos and the Steel Clan were even more successful than the clan, although, they were mostly relying on their own lasers and Xanatos's use of the Mage's hovercraft as a shield for his robots.

Lex took one swipe with his talons across the neck of a Steel Demona that was attacking him, and immediately changed course. Something about these Steel Demonas was off, and he thought that Xanatos would surely have the answer.

"What's going on with these Demona robots?" Lex demanded as he landed on the platform.

"Duck," Xanatos ordered, as he fired his laser cannons at a Steel Demona that was charging the two of them, "What is it?"

"These robots of Demona's were a lot harder to fight last night then they are now," Lex said, "Why?"

"I really don't know," Xanatos replied, "based on all the talking about the Mage and Demona, my best guess is that these are solely fighting drones."

"Like your Steel Clan?" Lex hypothesized.

Xanatos paused in his answer, "Think of this in terms of evolution. My Steel Clan, at least the current model, isn't a drone. Now it will only go where I tell it to, but once I give it a goal to obtain, and parameters to stay within, the Steel Clan can essentially think and fight for itself. These Steel Demonas don't have that ability. I think they are tied to Demona by magic. Demona is the Steel Demona's brain in a sense; the way a queen ant or queen bee usually is to colony of ants or hive of bees. If the Steel Clan and the Steel Demonas were living creatures, right now I'd say that the Steel Clan has evolved more than the Steel Demonas."

"So, the Steel Clan are simply drones with brains, and the Steel Demonas are simply drones?" Lex asked.

"Precisely," Xanatos smirked, "So long as Oberon, Titania, and Puck can keep Demona and the Mage occupied, we can get rid of these pests quite easily. Then for the Mage it will boil down to a matter of numbers."

**The Courtyard**

Puck ducked down to the ground as Demona threw a series of magically created grenades at him. All of them containing iron.

Desperate, Puck began to chant:

"Sorceress of evil nature,

use no more metals of an iron nature!"

Demona suddenly felt herself wrapped in emerald energy. Her mind was suddenly on fire. Puck's spell wasn't to attack her body, but her mind! Demona felt all the spells that could create iron weapons be ripped from her memory as the energy faded.

Demona screamed in fury and lunged at Puck. She was able to tackle the fey, but as soon as she prepared to punch the fey, he disappeared.

Puck reappeared over Demona's head.

"Come now Demona," Puck teased, "I don't kiss till at least the third date."

Demona only growled again.

Meanwhile Oberon and Titania were having greater difficulties with the Mage himself. Twice they tried to use the same spell Puck had just used on Demona, and twice, the Mage created and raised an iron shield of his own creation that blocked it. The Mage then threw the heavy shield at Oberon. The fey king ducked, and managed to avoid a lethal blow. The pointed end of the shield however, caught his cape, and embedded itself in the stone walls of Castle Wyvern.

"Caught eh?" the Mage jeered, "Don't worry, I'll fix that!"

The Mage used his three-pronged lightning spell again. The resulting explosion threw Oberon into the air. He landed in one of the trees that Xanatos had transplanted in the courtyard, breaking the tree's limbs.

Suddenly the mage found himself in the arms of an emerald gargoyle. It wasn't a real gargoyle; it was a solid emerald image of a gargoyle. It picked him up off the ground and threw him against the castle wall opposite Oberon.

"If you keep up this smart mouth banter," Titania warned, "I will FIX you!"

**Xandu**

"Momma? Where's daddy?" Alex asked.

The boy had awakened as the helicopter landed at Xandu, Xanatos's private retreat in upstate New York.

"Your daddy is still in New York," Fox answered trying to be brave; "I thought you and I would have a nice mother-son vacation."

"Where are the gargoyles?" Alex asked again.

"They're helping your daddy," Fox sighed.

Fox stopped walking, and looked back in the direction they came from. Part of her was afraid that Xanatos would be killed. Part of her wanted to be by his side, fighting the battle with him.

"Don't worry, everything will be alright," Fox said, and walked into the house.

**Over Manhattan**

"Jeez that guy in the radar room was right!" Falcon One yelled, "There's a ton of flying objects out here!"

"Yeah they're all around the Eyrie Building!" Falcon Two added.

"What do we do?" Falcon Three added, "They're too small to be part of another country's air force."

"We give 'em hell!" Falcon one announced.

Falcon One lead his fighter in the charge over the Manhattan skyline. As he got closer to the Eyrie Building itself, he began to see what was going on. There were hundreds of robots flying around. In addition to them, there was a hovercraft and several members of the race, that appeared three years ago, called gargoyles.

"Falcon One to base, we seem to have an armed conflict at the Eyrie Building, Xanatos's Steel Clan is fighting some other robots," Falcon One reported, "Please advise, over."

"Destroy both of them!" came the commander's voice over the radio, "Xanatos has legal rights to use his Steel Clan. But the laws that allow him to do so, also state: that should anything they get involved in attract OUR attention, Xanatos has no legal right to stop us from destroying him."

"Roger that," Falcon One replied, "Falcon Two and Falcon Three, use your guns! We have been given authorization to fire!"

The three F-16s came blazing through the sky firing their cannons as they went. The clan had all they could do to dive out of the way, and Xanatos was barely able to keep the hovercraft from being destroyed. The rest of the Steel Clan and most of the Steel Demonas however were destroyed.

"Lead charge has good hits!" Falcon One announced, "Falcon Two and Falcon Three prepare to turn for another pass!"

Oberon watch the three USAF fighters streak past.

"The mortals attempt to maintain their power here is not wanted, nor needed."

A three-pronged lightning bolt then struck Oberon's back.

"True," the Mage gloated, "But I've noticed that throughout history, the mortal's military systems have quite useful uses!"

Titania took the Mage's distraction to deal with the intruding American Air Force.

"Their aide is not required by us," Titania stated, "And, they in fact are far more dangerous to our side than to yours!"

Titania paused to point at the turning fighters, "FREEZE!"

The three fighters suddenly froze in midair. From all appearances, the planes were still flying. The lights still blinked, and the orange flame coming from the exhaust nozzle at the end of each fighter still blazed as if the planes were still moving forward, but they did not move.

"Aww, you ruined all my fun!" the Mage said in a mockingly hurt tone, "I would have loved to see their faces when they realize what acts of heroism they were performing."

Oberon charged, and punched the Mage in the stomach, and followed that with a roundhouse kick to the temple. The Mage flew backward and hit a far wall.

"You call your actions heroic?" Oberon questioned, "You've killed members of the fey. My children! You've killed members of your own race. You've killed gargoyles and other mystical creatures. You've tortured humans into following you. You've forever changed the lives of innocent human beings. You've manipulated others like you for your own purposes!"

The Mage stood up and chuckled, "Yeah. I did all that. Besides it's not like you haven't!"

"My actions are not on trial here!" Oberon growled.

"Maybe so," the Mage replied, "But you started this war. And I will finish it!"

**The Battlements**

Elisa and Matt ducked to the ground as the three fighters flew past. Pieces of various robots, both Steel Clan and Steel Demona fell around them.

"I guess NOTHING CAN stop the US Air Force!" Matt joked.

Elisa glared at him for a second and then chuckled. She looked around. The attacking fighters did a spectacular amount of damage to the fight. There were no more Steel Clan members left, other than Xanatos in his exo-suit. The number of Steel Demonas had been reduced from about three hundred to under fifty.

"Goliath!" Elisa called out.

"I'm here!" Goliath answered climbing up the outer wall of the castle.

Once Goliath was on level footing, Elisa gasped in horror. Goliath's right wing was riddled with holes caused by the large bullets used in the guns of fighter aircraft.

"Goliath your wing!" Elisa cried.

"It will heal when the sun rises," Goliath answered, wincing as Elisa moved to try and examine it.

Matt watched the two gargoyles look each other over, as three Steel Demonas dove from one position to attack them.

"Look out!" Matt yelled.

He fired two shots from his laser pistol, and only hit one of the three Demona robots. The other two were hit by laser fire from Xanatos's exo-suit.

Above them all, the robotic Brendan Yale felt himself to be in the best position. He had been too high for the F-16s to hit, and was now able to shoot down on the remaining Steel Demonas. He also looked over the clan that had been so willing to help him. Goliath and Macbeth seemed to be hurt the worst, with various burns caused by the Steel Demonas and with at least one wing riddled with very high caliber bullet wounds. The rest seemed to have so far escaped with only a few burns. The intervention by the fighters however had disrupted the battle the most by scattering the clan. All of the gargoyles were well below the castle now, and he and most of the remaining Steel Demonas were above it. Brendan couldn't fire a full barrage, because of the fact that he might hit one of the gargoyles below him.

Deciding that it would be best to avoid hurting the 'people' that were helping him, Brendan dove toward the Steel Demonas below him. He fired a few scattered rounds of laser fire at the Steel Demonas that were equal with him in altitude and then as he got closer to one, he punched it. To his surprise, the Demona robot's head simply crumpled from the blow. He was much stronger in this form. He hadn't believed it when Xanatos and Owen Burnett scanned him, but this proved it.

**Billy Mitchell USAF Reserve Base, Northeast Pennsylvania**

"Captain! Our planes! They just stopped!" Irick yelled.

"What?" the Captain demanded.

"They just stopped sir!" Irick repeated, and he then pointed at the radar screen, "See, these here are OUR aircraft! They aren't moving!"

"That's not possible," the Captain replied, with a great disbelief, "No airplane can just stop like that!"

"What about the Harrier?" Irick asked.

"The F-16 doesn't have the Harrier's ability to do that!" the Captain yelled, "Think with your brain! Perhaps our system is malfunctioning."

"No, that can't be," Irick answered, "The screen is indicating that the other radar contacts are still moving."

The Captain again turned to another lieutenant.

"Lieutenant, get down to the radio room!" he ordered, "Double check to make sure we didn't lose anyone."

"Yes sir."

**Castle Wyvern**

The clan hastily gathered on the battlements together. The sounds of Oberon, Titania, and Puck still battling Demona and the Mage were clearly heard. Xanatos in his exo-suit hovered a few feet above them, and Brendan Yale remained in the thick of it. However, it was clear now that the Steel Demonas had lost this fight. Now that the clan was safely above him, Brendan was now clear to fire his lasers in a wide barrage. Xanatos and Matt also picked off several of the Demona robots with their own weapons.

"We can hold them here Goliath," Xanatos grunted, "There's not that many left!"

Goliath and the clan nodded and then lead the clan down to the courtyard. The battle there remained in an impasse. The fight between Oberon and the Mage had degenerated into a fist fight that neither could apparently win. Titania tried her best to use whatever spells at her disposal to throw the Mage off balance. Demona and Puck were busy in what could only be described as a strange dance. Demona would dive at Puck and Puck would float away.

"We must hurry!" Macbeth advised, "Dawn will be coming in a few hours."

Puck dodged another magical lightning blast thrown by Demona.

"Do you get tired of that?" Puck asked.

Demona didn't answer.

Puck teleported directly in front of Demona's face, "Come on, I don't have all night for you to answer."

"She can't answer you," the Mage gloated, "She only answers to me!"

Puck dodged a punch thrown by Demona.

"Aw, how quaint," Puck teased, and then impersonating a deep growling voice of a caveman, "Me Mage, You Demona. You mine! HA!"

"STUPID ELF!" the Mage yelled, and fired a three-pronged lightning bolt.

The bolts struck Puck in the side. The blow drove directly into another magically charged punch by Demona. Puck fell unconscious to the ground. Demona was about finish Puck off when she heard Titania chant:

"Betrayer of clans and everyone,

fall to the earth,

as if you weighed a ton!"

Powerful magic shot from Titania's fingertips, and once the energy left Demona, she fell backwards. When she hit the ground, she felt for some reason much heaver then her body and frame showed. She heard stone cracking beneath her.

"Has she turned the whole castle into a gargoyle?" Demona thought.

Then all of a sudden she realized what Titania had done. Titania had increased her density to the point that the floor of the castle's courtyard would no longer support her. The stone gave way, and Demona and several bricks fell to the earth.

"That won't work," the Mage sneered as he picked up Oberon, "Demona IS immortal! Oberon, you can thank your own children for that, if you survive that is!"

The Mage then threw Oberon into Titania.

**Xandu**

Fox had put Alex to sleep minutes after getting inside the house. She now hurried to a secret room disguised as a broom closet. In reality the room was a security facility that Xanatos used to monitor his interests at Xanatos Enterprises, even when he wasn't there. She hoped she could get a camera feed on the battle between the Mage and the clan.

She fumbled with various dials as quickly as possible, although it wasn't nearly as fast as Owen normally did. In about three minutes she had a live feed of the battle. Demona was nowhere to be seen. The clan was just beginning to appear in the courtyard. Puck lay unconscious in the middle of the courtyard. Titania and Oberon were pulling themselves up from the ground. The Mage stood confidently before them all.

"Where's David?" Fox worried out loud.

She fumbled with a few more dials, and the screen showed a different camera image. The scene was now inside the castle. Fox could see Princess Catherine and the Guardian Tom moving slowly through the passages, as if they were expecting trouble at every turn.

"Where's David?" she asked again.

She turned the dials again, and again the screen's image changed. Finally it showed a picture from the battlements. Matt Bluestone was seen running and ducking for cover, while simultaneously firing a laser pistol at attacking Demona robots. Fox also saw off in the distance two robotic forms. One was mostly silver with a metallic brown head. That was the robotic Brendan Yale. The other was a large red and black gargoyle the resembled Goliath. That was Xanatos. Fox sighed with relief as she saw the image of her husband's exo-frame. She was glad it was still working. She was glad he appeared to be safe, for the moment.

**Castle Wyvern**

Macbeth was somewhat disappointed to see that Titania and Oberon had already dealt with Demona. He still wasn't quite prepared to be a gargoyle, and in his mind there wasn't much hope that he could return to his former life. All he currently wanted was to kill Demona, and let his suffering come to an end. However these feelings were cut short as he saw that the Mage was still very much alive, and holding his own.

He looked over his shoulder to see Elisa pushing her way forward. Her eyes were a deep blazing blood red tone.

"Ms. Maza?" he asked.

She only growled in response. Then, before anyone could do anything, Elisa charged toward the Mage at full speed.

"You did this to me!" she accused him.

Before Elisa could reach the Mage, and sink her talons into his neck, she hit some magical energy field. She bounced off of the field as a ball would bounce off of pavement. She caught herself by slamming her talons into the walls of the castle, behind the Mage.

"Yes, I performed the spell that transformed you into a gargoyle," the Mage replied.

"Why did you do it?" Goliath demanded, his own eyes glowing white.

"Jon Castaway asked me to do it for him," the Mage responded, "In return I had him bring Demona to me."

"Why would Castaway and the Quarrymen wish to transform the lass into a gargoyle?" Hudson asked, moving to make sure Goliath didn't repeat what Elisa had just done.

"Castaway had a grand plan that involved the deceit of the city government," the Mage replied, "He intended to kill 'the lass' and your clan in the end. Transforming her into a gargoyle was only necessary to make the mayor think that your kind really is up to something."

The Mage ducked under a punch thrown by Oberon, and then swept one leg out to trip the fey king.

"I however knew that Castaway would fail," the Mage then snickered, "He tried to create a totalitarian state under his own control out of a democratic city. Now while it's not impossible to do that, it is impossible to do it overnight however. Castaway tried to do things too quickly."

Oberon threw a series of his own magical lightning bolts at the Mage. The human sorcerer was then tossed across the courtyard. While the Mage was busy recovering, Goliath noticed the still unconscious Puck lying on the ground.

"Lex! Get Puck to safety!" Goliath ordered, "Everyone else, try to get between the Mage and Puck."

The clan moved quickly. Lex scrambled to grab Puck, and proceeded to run toward the castle with Puck on his back. The Mage rolled away from a punch thrown by Goliath, and then chanting in Latin, creating a pulse wave of magic that sent Goliath, Angela, and Brooklyn flying. Broadway tried next, swinging his tail at the Mage's knees, but the wizard jumped into the air, and fired another magical pulse wave. This one sent Broadway, Hudson, Macbeth, and Bronx flying. The Mage turned to resume his attack on Oberon to see Elisa standing over him. She threw one powerful punch into the Mage's face, but before she could follow it up the Mage teleported away.

The Mage reappeared in the center of Wyvern's courtyard. He chanted in Latin once more, and then suddenly released an even more powerful magical pulse wave than before. Everyone standing there was thrown against the castle's walls, and the Mage stayed where he stood, laughing.

Catherine and Tom returned to the battlements above behind the courtyard shortly after the Mage's massive pulse wave was fired.

"Things don't look good," Catherine said.

"It gets worse," Tom added, "Dawn isn't too far way. If we don't get rid of the Mage soon, the gargoyles will turn to stone, and you know that Oberon has no qualms about abandoning them."

"Then we'd best do something," Catherine nodded, preparing another arrow.

Once the arrow was ready, Catherine aimed the weapon at the Mage. She aimed it directly at his heart, and fired.

**Above Wyvern**

The last of the Steel Demonas exploded violently under the combined forces of Xanatos and Brendan's laser cannons, and Matt's laser pistol.

"Well, that takes care of that!" Xanatos announced triumphantly.

"Don't get cocky Xanatos," Matt warned, "The clan and your in-laws are still fighting the Mage."

"Sure, take all the joy out of a moment of victory," Xanatos sighed.

Xanatos maneuvered his jets and grabbed Matt by the collar, and then descended to the courtyard. The robotic Brendan Yale followed. They landed just in time to see an arrow hit the Mage's hood. It obviously missed his head, or at least missed a direct hit. However, the arrow did remove the Mage's hood from his head.

None of the gathered humans or gargoyles thought anything of the exposed human head. Oberon and Titania had recognized it right off, and gasped in surprise and shock.

"REMUS!" they screamed.

**Billy Mitchell USAF Reserve Base, Northeast Pennsylvania**

The radio men were just as perplexed as the radar operators. The radios from Falcons One, Two, and Three were all non operative. The base commander was becoming quite angry. The disturbance had awakened him and his wife, and now everything seemed to be going wrong. According to radar, the three fighters were sitting still somewhere in New York. But that couldn't be possible since the F-16 can't hover the way the Harrier could. On top of this, the radio operators repeatedly trying to communicate with the three pilots only heard static in response.

"What do we do, Colonel?" a nervous captain asked.

"Notify Washington," the Colonel answered, "Whatever is going on there it obviously doesn't like our intervention. Someone has to have done something to our fighters or something to our equipment."

**Xandu**

Fox was quite surprised when Oberon and Titania screamed the name 'Remus'. Somehow the name sounded familiar from her history classes from when she was a child, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Who is 'Remus'?" Fox wondered out loud.

**Castle Wyvern**

Ophelia looked at the man in red robes before her. His hair was cut short and he had a very distinctive 'Roman nose'. The right side of his face had a long scar from where Catherine's arrow hit him.

"Ah, the fey king remembers my name," the Mage snarled, "Too bad he never cared about anyone but himself."

"My wife and I are not on trial here," Oberon repeated.

"Of course you're not!" the Mage responded, "You're on the executioners block!"

"Wait, wait wait," Xanatos said, "Time out for a second. Just who is Remus?"

"Remember how I told you that we have believed that the Mage has existed since the founding of Rome?" Oberon asked.

Xanatos nodded.

"Do you know who the founder of Rome was?" Titania then asked.

"Mythology says it was a man named Romulus, hence Rome's name," Xanatos said.

"It isn't myth, youngster," the Mage answered, "Romulus did found a city and named it after himself. That city would go on to build an empire. An empire I deserved."

Oberon glared at the Mage, "Everyone meet Romulus's twin brother Remus. Both children were found by the she-wolf in a basket in the Tiber River. The wolf raised the two boys. Eventually as they grew into manhood, they became rivals, and Romulus killed Remus and then founded Rome."

"A very good textbook answer," the Mage grinned, "But obviously lacking large sums of the truth."

"If Romulus killed Remus, then how is it possible that Remus is the Mage?" Brendan questioned.

"The third race has never really known," Oberon answered, "All we've known is that the Mage is an evil sorcerer. This is in fact the first time in many years that we've seen his face."

"You've seen Remus before?" Goliath asked.

"We have," Titania answered, "But at the time, he was still yet to become the Mage, or we didn't know that he was the Mage."

The Mage quickly chanted in Latin. Everyone in the clan found themselves with heavy iron muzzles over their mouths. Xanatos and Brendan's mouths were magnetically sealed.

"I guess this is where I tell my life story," the Mage chuckled, "I guess you deserve it."

The Mage then used a levitation spell to hover above them.

"I am indeed the twin brother of Romulus, the founder of Rome," the Mage said, "I am Remus. At first we agreed to work together. Both of us learned some magic as we grew up, mostly from nearby farmers who respected the will of the Gods. However as we grew older our differences materialized. I focused more on magic and the worship of the gods, while my brother moved more and more into politics. As I learned more and more magic I learned that the she-wolf that rescued us was none other than Titania herself in a disguise. I knew that she had some connection to the Gods, and I believed that it was the third race's wish that city be great! When Romulus drew the borders to city, I clearly saw that his borders were not good enough. He read the birds wrong! I leaped over the border he had created to try and warn him, but he turned on me and produced a knife. My brother had always been the more physically fit than I and I knew I could not wrestle the knife away from him. So I immediately cast a protection spell on my person. It would allow me to survive being stabbed."

Goliath moved closer toward the Mage. The Mage using magic and telekinesis, lifted Goliath up, and threw him at Oberon.

"When I awakened, I found that Romulus had gone my brother had built his city and had taken the Sabine women," the Mage continued, "From then on I knew my brother had betrayed me. He went against the gods, and took the power from me that should rightfully be mine. I knew I needed more power than the simple spells I used before. I consulted the God of the Underworld, and I learned a spell that I could use to transfer the life force of any living person, and the inherent magic within that person, into myself. It allowed me to use spells in a way similar to the fey."

Catherine gasped from the battlements above.

"Once I gained the power I needed I took the title of Mage and always kept my face hidden," the Mage explained, "As time went on Rome grew from a city to a kingdom; from a kingdom to a republic and from a republic to an empire. I tried to act as a magical advisor to every Roman leader, but I was disgusted with how Rome's generals and politicians hated me and how they glorified my brother. On top of all this, these men gained the respect and admiration I deserved! They were all ingrates! They didn't know who had really helped them. Caesar accused me of being a 'Gaul who didn't have his race's warrior spirit, and hid among his people's conquerors to escape the dishonor that his own people thrust on him'. Augustus referred to me as 'a man we must only live with'. Then came Marcus Aurelius. I thought he was man who could help me gain my goals. He had me write the Grimorum for the empire. This would be beneficial for all the empire's followers of magic. Then I learned that the Grimorum was intended to be a method of government control over myself. Aurelius feared that I or some other wizard would do something to threaten his beloved 'Pax Romana'. After that I had enough. That is when I decided to fulfill my own destiny."

Oberon and Titania both glared at the Mage. He was ranting. This wasn't an explanation for why he was doing all this, this was only a rant. To Oberon, it looked as if this immortal wizard acted the way any other mortal acted when he or she was angry.

"I gave Aurelius the Grimorum," the Mage ranted on, "His hope for the peace and safety of the people of Rome and the peoples from northern Britannia to southern Aegyptus. I meanwhile moved to a covert action to end the politicians and general's rule over Rome. Then the war began. Lord Oberon and Lady Titania did not like my actions and repeatedly tried to stop me. I was able to dodge most of their efforts and continued to end the Roman Empire as Romulus's supporters saw it. However, the Christian God then conquered and subjugated the Greeco-Roman Pantheon of Gods and the third race declared their essential loyalty to him. Between Christianity on one side and the third race on the other, my efforts to bring about my empire destroyed the old Roman Empire, and the middle ages began. It was a triumph for me, but not the one I wanted. I decided it was time that I focus my efforts on the third race instead of on the political arena that surrounded us all. I couldn't abandon my mission to gain my empire however, because if I didn't, I would be in no position to claim it once my victory over Oberon was secure."

Xanatos tried to activate his laser cannons and turn them on the Mage, but again, the Mage used magic and telekinesis to hold Xanatos still. He then magically created a magnetic field that forced Xanatos and Brendan Yale to stand together, back to back. This left both unable to do anything.

"I therefore founded the Illuminati Organization," the Mage explained, "I trained a few of its members in magic and cast a spell that made all important members of the Illuminati Society completely loyal to me. The Illuminati handled all of the jobs I required in the political arena, while I battled the fey. And now the battle is about to be over."

Oberon had finally had enough. The gargoyle Goliath had been thrown into him and the Mage had allowed himself to rant about evilness of his race. Of the evilness of Rome's 'good emperors' and how he deserved to rule the world. In a fit of anger, that spent rarely showed to anyone, he released a massive amount of energy, blowing the iron muzzle from his face. Skin ripped off with it, and Oberon screamed with pain as the iron pulled away from his flesh.

As his blood dribbled down the outside of his lips, he yelled, "I've had enough of you!"

The Mage glared back, "I'm sure you have, but there is one detail I failed to mention. Once you had clearly become my enemy I altered the immortality spell I placed on myself."

"What?" Oberon demanded.

"I can not be killed or lose my power until you die!" the Mage gloated, "I can not lose until after I've already won. Do you think these gargoyles can stop me? The fight will go on until you drop dead. Then I'll recast my original immortality spell and conquer the entire world! Avalon included!"

Once the Mage finished this triumphant yell, he released another massive magical pulse wave that knocked everyone off their feet.

**Washington DC**

The Secretary of Defense was having a bad day, and it had progressed into a worse evening. He had been working the entire day working with the president in regards to America's policy in Kosovo, in the Middle East, in the Far East, and the continuing rewriting of the NATO alliance policy. All of these were major headaches that would be best solved one at a time. But, since problems do not surface one at time, he had been working on them all at once. Now there was this entire situation in New York.

"Should we tell the President?" a lower ranking official asked.

"And tell him what? Something's happening in New York, but we don't know what's going on, because the three planes that were sent are, according to our radar are 'floating in midair'?" the Secretary of Defense answered, "Tell him that our radio transmissions to the aircraft aren't going through? It'll sound like the world declared war and attacked New York! But no one's leaving the city like it's under attack! How are we to explain that?"

The official nodded, as the Secretary of Defense stopped walking and turned to him, "Send a message to the National Guard Units in the New York area. Tell them to mobilize and block off the city. I don't want anyone getting in or out!"

The lower ranking official nodded.

"I'll tell the President that we are right now investigating an anomaly in New York, and that it's nothing to be concerned about," the Secretary of Defense sighed, "Hopefully he can accept that."

**Castle Wyvern**

This battle had gone from bad to worse. It was getting closer and closer to dawn. The Mage threw waves of magic at the gargoyles and their human and robotic allies, and he blocked any magic that Oberon and Titania threw at him.

Oberon tried several times to throw some of the castle's stone bricks at the Mage, hoping to break his shield, but again little worked. The blows knocked him to the ground, but did little else, and they didn't give the gargoyles the opportunity to get close.

Xanatos suddenly left his position on the battlefield, took off and then landed next to Oberon.

"Oberon, are you familiar with the Battle of the Atlantic from the Second World War?" Xanatos asked.

"The entire war was simply a demonstration of how foolish mortals can be," Oberon sneered, "If France and Britain did appease Hitler in 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, and in 1939 before Hitler invaded Poland, it is much more likely that Hitler would have been ousted from power by the army because he didn't deliver Germany what he wanted. But Britain, France, AND America all sat in the dark with the ghosts of the First World War. On top of this, America essentially said, 'If we ignore Hitler long enough he'll go away.' France, Britain, and the United States brought the worst of the Second World War on themselves because they didn't do anything to fight an obvious evil."

"Yeah, so we screwed up," Xanatos sighed, "Now answer my question. Are you familiar with the Battle of the Atlantic?"

"Yes, I am," Oberon growled, "And of what relevance does a sea battle from 1939 to 1945 have to do with the current battle?"

"There was a US ship sunk during the battle that has a unique story with it," Xanatos answered, "I can't remember its name, but I believe it was a destroyer. It was torpedoed by a German submarine. As the ship sank, three priests onboard gave their life jackets to other crewmen and went down with the ship."

"Three mortals died for three mortals," Oberon answered back, "So?"

"You don't get it Oberon," Xanatos practically yelled back, "The priests sacrificed themselves for the other three men."

"Three men died for three men," Oberon replied, "There is no 'heroic sacrifice' in the incident."

"No, what the priests did was heroic in a sense," Xanatos snarled back, "I'm not sure about this, but I think the three men that the priests gave their life jackets to were in really poor health, and would not have been able to swim. The life jackets gave them the ability to wait for another ship to come along and pluck them up. Three people died for three others, yes, but the three people they died for could not have survived without their help."

"I still do not see the comparison," Oberon replied.

"Look at it this way," Xanatos sighed, "The Mage has openly admitted that he can't be killed until YOU die. Many of the gargoyles right now are out cold, and the rest will soon turn to stone. My armor is beginning to run low on power and the integrity of the armor is fading. If I take too many more blows like the ones he's produced, my armor will simply fall to pieces. Brendan Yale is in the same condition as my armor."

Oberon paused and stared at Xanatos. The helmet, shaped like Goliath's head, betrayed no emotion on the part of human billionaire.

"The Mage has also clearly stated that he wants to rule the world and destroy all your people," Xanatos continued, "I'm sorry if this upsets you, but we need you to sacrifice yourself so that we can kill the Mage."

"I will not commit suicide," Oberon snarled.

"I'm sorry, but it's the only way," Xanatos answered, "The Mage looks like he can keep this up for days. All of us are beginning to tire, even you! You know we can't keep this fight up much longer."

Xanatos paused and thought of Alex and Fox. He thought of his own past.

"Sometimes we must think about what is best for others and not for ourselves," Xanatos sighed.

Oberon blinked. This mortal man had asked him to commit suicide for his people. He looked at the battle. Of the gargoyles, only Goliath, Elisa, Macbeth, and Bronx were still conscious, although none of them were looking very good. All of the humans, except for Xanatos, were unconscious. Xanatos's armor was riddled with burns and it was apparent that several pieces of the armor were barely held together. The robotic Brendan Yale was in much the same condition as Xanatos's armor. He looked at Titania. Despite her own power, it was clear that she was becoming exhausted. Oberon barely admitted that he was beginning to tire as well. He watched the Mage laugh as he battled with those of his allies that were still awake.

Oberon then remembered the Mage's rant. The Mage was clearly mad. Much the way Demona and Castaway were, although the Mage was different. Demona wanted all humanity to pay for one incident that occurred to her former clan. Castaway wanted all gargoyles to pay for the murder of his father and the paralyzing of his brother and incarceration of his sister, despite the fact that Castaway was the man responsible for his brother's crippling and his sister confessed. The Mage wanted the fey to die to fulfill his own megalomania. He also remembered the line that Xanatos was referring to.

'I can not be killed or lose my power until you die!'

"Is your father's harpoon still here?" Oberon asked, looking at the ground.

"Yes," Xanatos replied calmly.

Oberon sighed, "Get it!"

Xanatos bowed, and ran back inside the castle.

**Xandu**

"David, where are you going?" Fox demanded as she watched the screen.

She saw the image of her husband's armor depart Oberon's side to flee into the inside of the castle. The screen also showed that it was soon to be a victory for the Mage at Wyvern. Almost all of the gargoyles were out cold. Puck was nowhere to be seen. The robotic Brendan Yale looked as if he were about to go offline. Oberon looked as though he were a man 100 pounds overweight and extremely out of shape, and trying to sprint up Mount Everest. Her mother looked worse.

"Please be alright!" Fox prayed.

**Eyrie Building**

Xanatos hurried into his private office as quickly as his bulky armor would let him. He was quite amazed that it didn't fall apart as he descended the stairs from Wyvern. He had his toes crossed inside his Kevlar boots. Although neither the Kevlar or the fact that his toes were crossed could be seen through the heavily armored metal feet that resembled a gargoyle's foot.

Upon reaching his office, Xanatos reeled around to face his door as if to go out again. Suspended by hooks in a glass case was an old iron harpoon that had belonged to his father. The last time the harpoon was ever used was during Oberon's attempt to kidnap Alex, more than three years ago. Xanatos still smirked at the memory of how Oberon reacted.

'I am vulnerable to iron. You have hurt me. Hurting me was a mistake!'

Xanatos smashed the glass and grabbed the harpoon.

"Come on boy," Xanatos said to the harpoon as if it were Bronx, "You're going back into Oberon."

Things had not improved when Xanatos had returned to the courtyard. Brendan Yale and Bronx were now unconscious. Both Oberon and Titania were near collapsing, and while Goliath and Elisa were still awake, they were both leaning against opposite walls of the castle. The Mage still stood in the center of the courtyard with a long on his face as if to say, 'who's next?'

"Your harpoon sir," Xanatos said, walking up to Oberon.

"An iron harpoon!" Titania screamed, "How dare you betray us!"

"The mortal has not betrayed us," Oberon answered, "This is my will. The Mage has linked himself to me. So long as I live, his is immortal and powerful."

"I can not go on without you," Titania screamed again, "Avalon needs its King."

"Avalon's King is about to do something that will insure the protection of all Avalon," Oberon answered sternly, "Avalon will have to get along with only its Queen for the time being."

Titania stepped back. She said nothing. Oberon then turned to the Mage, who by now was watching the spectacle between Oberon and Titania.

"What are you doing you old tyrant?" the Mage demanded.

"I am dealing you your final defeat!" Oberon yelled, before slamming the harpoon into his chest.

What followed was nothing short of biblical. As the iron pierced Oberon's heart, the fey king fell to a knee. Oberon's eyes opened wide as magical energy began erupting through his flesh.

"The war is OVER!" Oberon declared before exploding in a veil of light.

When the light faded, all that was left of Oberon was his highly stylized outfit. However the astonishing revelations were not over yet. A great pillar of light and fire descended from the heavens and wrapped themselves around the Mage. Then a ghostly echo of voices chanted in both Latin and every language used by the fey:

"Linked to thy mortal foe,

I shall cause his race eternal woe,

my immortality linked to him,

until his blood fills to the brim."

When the chant ended, the Mage was on his hands and knees, panting heavily. Xanatos activated his laser cannons and fired. The blasts hit the Mage's elbow. A sharp snap was heard as the bones in his upper and lower arms, close to the elbow, broke like twigs. Titania now stepped forward.

"Mage you are now mortal and vulnerable to my power," Titania growled, her eyes glowing emerald green, "You have cost Avalon its King. You and your megalomania will not claim the life of another. Ever!"

Before the Mage could do anything, Titania raised her arms and began to chant:

"Villain from an ancient time,

lose your magic,

be mortal,

now and forever!"

Emerald energy once again wrapped itself around the Mage. He screamed in pain as his magic was drained from him. Xanatos watched in horror as the ghosts of the people that the Mage had used his 'magical vampire' spell on escaped. When the energy vanished, the Mage had been reduced to the form of the man once known as Remus, brother of Romulus.

"The Mage is no more powerful in the arts of sorcery then he was when he started," Titania declared, "Like all humans, he is now mortal and must use some form of talisman to perform any magic."

"We can't have that," Xanatos said, "I'm sure his memory is still intact, and there are many magic talismans in the world. I'm afraid we HAVE kill him. He will either come back or the Illuminati will come for him."

"True, Xanatos," Titania sighed, "But even though he is responsible for my lord's death, I can not take his life. I saved both him and Romulus as the she-wolf. I feel a mother's disappointment toward Remus. Toward the Mage."

Xanatos chuckled, activating his laser cannons again, "Don't worry; I'm sure we can handle it."

Xanatos fired his laser cannons at the Mage. It was on a low power setting, and only succeeded in throwing the Mage across the courtyard. That wasn't itself as important as who the Mage landed near. He looked up to see a tan gargoyle, with reddish tones on the inside of its wings and a blazing red glow in its eyes.

"You did this to me!" Elisa growled; her mind was currently running solely on a gargoyle's instinct.

The Mage nodded.

"Tell me," Elisa demanded, "Was there ever a counter spell to what you did to me or to Brendan Yale? Or Demona?"

"You, Yale, and Demona are in your current forms permanently," the Mage said weakly, "Transformation spells that turn humans into something else, which are done by human sorcerers, have no counter spells. There are two types of human spells that transform other creatures into humans. One is reversible, one isn't. At first Demona was only cursed with the reversible one, but as her anger proved to be nearly uncontrollable, I had to curse her again with the permanent spell, among other things."

"Other things?" Elisa yelled.

"I put a spell on her that essentially canceled out her anger, by making her my slave," the Mage again said weakly, but this time even more so than before, "She could not do anything physically or vocally that was not of my plans. That is why she wouldn't speak to Puck. That is why when this battle was fought she fought against Puck, Titania, and Oberon, not your clan. I personally was quite disappointed when she betrayed your clan in the first place."

"Don't try to play that card, Mage," Elisa growled, "You've lost! I will have my revenge."

Elisa's talons began to cut into the Mage's neck.

As the Mage died, his last words were, "But I won! But I won!"

The Mage's death came just in time for dawn to rise over Manhattan, and all the gargoyles turned to stone.

The first thing after the Mage's death that was done was the repairing of Castle Wyvern. Titania used her own magic to put the walls back together, and replace the stones that were lost. Then she released the "freeze in place" spell that was placed on Manhattan. The three fighter jets resumed their course, but each pilot now could not figure out why they were over Manhattan. The tech crews back at Billy Mitchell USAF Reserve base insisted that there was some large radar contact in the Manhattan area, while the pilots said that they saw nothing. Titania herself knew that Mage's attack would lead to an investigation of the military's effectiveness, and she knew that action would be needed to keep order, but she also knew that she couldn't have armed men patrolling the Eyrie Building, asking Xanatos and her daughter things which they could not and did not wish to answer.

"What will you do now?" Xanatos asked.

"I will first acquire the mirrors I need to take to Avalon," Titania answered, "Although they may not be truly needed anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"With Oberon's sacrifice, the Gathering is now over," Titania answered, "Oberon's power and Oberon's word held the Gathering together. Now that he is dead the third race is now free to come and go from Avalon as they please."

Xanatos nodded, "I'm sure Fox wouldn't mind if you came to visit Alex once and awhile. I guess I probably owe you that for not trying to take him from us during all this."

Titania smiled, "You are a complex man, David Xanatos. My daughter chose well."

**Eyrie Building's Infirmary**

Matt Bluestone woke up slowly, and with a slight sting of pain in his left arm.

"Relax detective," came a nurse's voice, "Whatever you, the gargoyles, and Mr. Xanatos were fighting last night had to be pretty tough. You're left arm was broken when one of the larger bricks from the castle wall fell on it."

Matt looked down to see his left forearm wrapped in a cast. He put his head back down on the pillow.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"Eyrie's infirmary," the nurse answered, "You'll be clear to go in an hour or so. Just relax until then."

Matt looked around the room. It wasn't much different than your average hospital room, except it was bigger. There was a bed next to his, and laying on in, still in deep sleep was Owen Burnett.

"What happened to him?" Matt whispered to himself.

"Mr. Burnett was knocked unconscious, and is yet to regain consciousness," the nurse answered, "He'll be fine."

Matt heard a door open on the other side of the room. He turned to see the human Macbeth enter.

"Macbeth?" Matt stammered.

"Yes, it's me," Macbeth answered, "Titania was able to restore my human form, but because it was once a gargoyle's body, and specifically a new Thailog clone, there are some consequences that I'll have to live with."

"I didn't think you cared," Matt joked.

"I don't," Macbeth answered sternly, "I respect you as an officer of the law. That is all. However, you have connections to Goliath and his clan, and I wish you to convey a message to them for me."

"Shoot," Matt answered.

"I'm leaving," Macbeth answered, "Some time ago Goliath said to me that 'You may have been a victim of Demona's treachery and deceit, but, in a strange way, she's done you a favor. At least now you know you're capable of love, the kind of love that makes life worthwhile. Search for that love, Macbeth. She's out there. Just make sure that, next time, you get a good look at her at night.' I can not remain here. Once Demona realizes that I'm human again will probably try her plot with Sevarius to try and remove my soul from this body. If I remain in New York I will never get the chance to find that love that Goliath was talking about."

With that Macbeth left. Privately Matt wondered what would happen to him.

**Outside the Eyrie Building**

Demona woke slowly. She felt as though she'd been hit by a ton of bricks. It was early morning, and she was still wearing the white robes that the Mage had given her to wear. She looked up at the repaired castle. Anger resided within her, yet for the first time in many months, her rage was not focused on Goliath and Elisa.

She looked at her human hands and muttered, "I've betrayed my own kind. I walked into the Mage's betrayal. Sevarius has betrayed me at Nightstone. And now I'm human forever. Any project to destroy humanity will kill me."

Demona then shyly sneaked into the crowd, trying not to be noticed. Her head down.

**Nightstone Unlimited**

Alex and Anton Sevarius calmly walked into the main office at Nightstone. The office that was once Demona's.

"Now where were we Alex?" Anton asked his white haired clone.

"You were going to explain to me my job here at Nightstone," Alex answered.

"Ah yes," Anton Sevarius answered, "I programmed you to be the business end here at Nightstone. You are intelligent, but not in the field of genetics. I've given you the business sense needed to run the company. In terms of image, you and I are partners, but I've programmed you to be more of a lackey. Granted you are an intelligent lackey, but a lackey none the less."

"It doesn't matter," Alex replied, "Lackeys generally get the easier life."

Anton chuckled.

**Castle Wyvern**

Fox and Alex returned shortly after noon. Fox herself was quite surprised by the events that occurred in the battle against the Mage, but said nothing of it to Titania. The fey queen stood in the center of the great hall.

"I will stop by on occasion to visit with my grandson," Titania said, "I will also return tonight for Princess Catherine, Tom, Ophelia, and Gabriel, should they wish to return."

"There's nothing I can say other than I'm sorry for your loss," Fox sighed.

Titania smiled weakly, and then chanted the spell to one of the mirrors that would enchant it for the trip to Avalon. Xanatos and Fox watched her leave with the mirrors.

"Gran'ma go home?" Alex asked.

"Yes," Fox answered, "Grandma went home."

**Illuminati Headquarters**

A large circular table with eight chairs were the only things seen in the room. Not even the floors and the surrounding walls were seen. Carved into each black metal chair was a stylized number. The chairs were numbered one through eight. Sitting in each chair was a person in a red robe. Their faces were hidden by the robe's hoods. Their hands sat calmly on the metal table.

"The Mage is dead," the one in the chair marked "one" announced.

"Our founder is dead," said the one in the chair marked "three".

"So the war is over?" asked the one in the chair marked "seven".

"For now," said one in the chair marked "two", "But remember our founder's greatest prophesy. And I will remind you that all his prophesies have come true."

A sudden light from the ceiling centered on the table's center. A large leather bound book floated down inside the narrow column of light.

"The copy of the Mage's Grimorum," said the one in the chair marked "five".

"Yes," said One, opening the book to a bookmarked page. One then began reading out loud, "If I ever die, it will not mean the end of the war against the third race. It will only be the end of the beginning. On thousand years after I die, a new Mage will emerge. You are to follow him as you have followed me. He will lead the Illuminati to their greatest glory ever!"

**The End…?**


	4. Getting Used to it All

All the characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyright Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder. All original characters are the property of SN.

Note: I'm disregarding the events in the "Goliath Chronicles", with the exception of "The Journey" because I do not wish to use the rest of the "Goliath Chronicles" as canon to my story. This story takes place one week after "War's End".

Getting Used to it All

By SN/TVfan

Email:Sam_Nary

**Elisa Maza's Former Apartment**

Diane Maza sat on the side of the one bed that Elisa owned. A bed that she would no longer use. Tears were in her eyes. She had been crying ever since Elisa telephoned to say that they found and defeated the Mage, but that there was no counter spell to what happened. She and her husband had tried to be strong and openly supportive when Elisa was first transformed, but now things were different. Now that there was no chance that Elisa could be human again, Diane didn't entirely know what to do anymore. On top of all this, Beth was graduating from college soon. Life seemed to be chasing her from all sides. She either had to run out to Arizona to support Beth or stay in New York to worry about Elisa.

Peter came in from the living room, "Xanatos's packers aren't here yet to take Elisa's things to the castle."

"Peter, were we good parents?" Diane asked.

"Of course we were," Peter answered, "Why do you ask."

"Really?" Diane replied, "Then how come our eldest daughter is right now 'rock solid' and our only son is covered in black fur?"

"What happened to Derek and Elisa was beyond our control," Peter answered, "We've got to get used to what's happened to them. Do you think they'd want us to mope about what can't be changed?"

"No," Diane sighed, "But I just can't do it. I just can't do it."

**Flagstaff, Arizona**

"So, Beth, what are you going to do, once you graduate?" her roommate asked.

"I don't know," Beth answered, "There's some family stuff going on right now, and I think maybe I should try to help them. I mean there are lots of jobs for someone with medical training."

"Yeah, I can just see it now," the roommate snickered, "Well Ms. Maza, our team normally doesn't hire people like you, but Joey, Phil, and Sally keep falling of the girders and I need you to set their bones every day."

"Very funny," Beth answered.

"Is your family going to come out?"

"My mom and dad will," Beth sighed, "I don't know about my sister or brother though. Work keeps them awfully busy."

"I hope they come," her roommate said in a consoling voice, "I'd like to meet them."

"Sure you would," Beth thought to herself.

**Avalon**

Titania had erected a statue to Oberon in Avalon Castle's courtyard. After the statue was erected, no one had seen her. Not the gargoyles. Not the fey. Not Princess Catherine or Tom. The fey queen had seen to that. The room that she shared with Oberon was sealed off from the rest of the castle. The door was sealed magically, and the mirror that Titania had brought from the mortal realm was placed outside the door. Titania had also hung heavy black curtains over the windows and entrance to the balcony.

Her voice however could be heard. Passers by could hear her weeping. Coyote heard it as he walked by the door on his way to the main courtroom. Where Titania should be seated on her throne.

"What are you doing?" came three voices in unison as he approached the mirror in the main courtroom.

Coyote turned to see the Weird Sisters floating above Titania's throne.

"Playing Queens are we?" Coyote joked, "You know that Titania will get over her grief soon. You can't play around that throne forever."

"We do not play," said Selene.

"Oberon made his gathering," said Luna.

"Titania wishes we obey it," added Phoebe.

"We will follow her commands," the Sisters then said in unison.

"Good for you," Coyote said, stepping closer to the mirror, "You do that. I have business I must attend to. See ya latter."

Coyote then leaped into the mirror and was gone. The Weird Sisters then looked at each other and sighed.

"Should we bring him back?" asked Luna.

"No, Titania will deal with him when he returns," answered Selene.

"How so?" asked Phoebe.

"We shall console her," Selene answered again.

The sisters then lowered themselves to the ground and walked in the direction of Titania's private room.

**Castle Wyvern, Dusk**

Elisa and Goliath were the last to fully break free of their stone shells as the new night began. For Elisa, family relations were no easier for her then they were for her parents. Ever since she told them that there was no counter spell for the Mage's transformation spell, they had refused to even call Wyvern to ask Owen or somebody if she was alright. As her eyes dimmed from red to their normal color, she was greeted by a strange meowing sound.

She turned to the source of the noise and said, "Cagney! How did you get here?"

"Your parents brought him with them when the movers brought your things to the castle, detective," came Owen's monotone voice.

"Are they still here?" Elisa asked hopefully.

"I am afraid not," Owen answered, "They said they had other business to attend to."

"Humph, business indeed!" Elisa grumbled, "Mom isn't employed and dad is retired."

Goliath came over and placed an arm on her shoulder, "What is wrong, my love?"

Elisa looked back at her mate, tears in her eyes and cried, "Why won't they talk to me?"

**Peter and Diane Maza's Apartment**

Peter Maza threw a few frozen TV dinners into the microwave and set the timer. Diane was too upset about everything to cook, and frankly he wasn't in a real cooking mood either. Peter Maza was about to reflect on his own feelings on the current problem, when a blinding flash of light appeared in his living room, closely followed by the sounds of Diane screaming.

"Diane, what is it?" Peter called as he came into the room.

Diane said nothing, and sat on the couch in manner in which suited someone who is startled instead of terrified. Sitting opposite her was a man in blue jeans and a black shirt, with black hair and pointed ears.

"Hello all," the man said, "I'm Coyote in case no one guessed. I'm here to help."

**Destine Mansion**

Demona sat slumped in a chair looking out one of the mansion's huge windows. She stared in the direction of the Eyrie Building and Castle Wyvern atop it. Her own mind was in turmoil with the Mage's war as well as many others. She, like many of her "enemies", was a victim of his brand of revenge. She stared out at the sky. The night sky. Sky she would never again feel beneath her wings, because she no longer had them. The Mage had cursed her to live forever as a human. On top of all this, the Mage had ruined the only insane purpose she thought she had, humanity's destruction.

"What am I to do now?" Demona questioned to herself.

**Castle Wyvern**

Goliath found Broadway and Angela in the library. Angela was looking at something that looked like a play from Shakespeare, while Broadway seemed content to simply listen.

"What is it, father?" Angela asked.

"I am taking Elisa to her family," Goliath announced, "Elisa is very upset about her folks not talking to her, and that is upsetting me. Brooklyn will hand out the patrol routes and pairings. I will also remind you that if you see Demona, you are to avoid her."

"Yes, father," Angela answered.

"Sure thing, Goliath," Broadway added, "Will Elisa be okay?"

"I hope so," Goliath sighed, "But emotions are the easiest things to break and the hardest things to heal."

With that Goliath departed. Both Angela and Broadway noted the look of sadness on his face.

"Do you think this has something to do with the fact that the Mage had no spell to turn Elisa back into a human?" Angela asked.

"I think so," Broadway answered, "And, I'm afraid this isn't a problem that can be solved with food."

**Peter and Diane Maza's Apartment**

"You're here to help us?" Diane asked the fey that had identified himself as Coyote.

"Yup, I promised your daughter, Beth, that I would protect Clan Maza," Coyote answered, "And right now, you need protection."

"We need protection?" Diane cried, "We aren't being attacked by anyone. Our daughter, Elisa, needed protection more than a month ago. Why didn't you help her?"

Coyote sighed, "The Mage had no direct intention of killing her. To some extent also, what happened to Elisa was her destiny."

Peter sat down heavily into the couch next to Diane.

"Our family is meant to lose their humanity?" Diane demanded, her voice sounding half sorrowful and half angry.

"Gargoyles are no more than humans with wings," Coyote grinned, "You see, this is why I am here."

Diane looked to Peter, and all he could do was shrug.

"Because the Mage had no direct intentions of killing Elisa when he transformed her, if I had intervened on her behalf, I would have broken Oberon's Law. Then I'd be in more trouble then a crook who robs the police," Coyote continued, "I promised to protect your family and I am here to do that."

"You have the power to change her back?" Peter asked.

"No," Coyote answered, "The Mage was the most powerful human wizard, ever. His spells were not only powerful, but they were also quite complex. Even if Oberon or Titania had tried to restore Elisa's humanity, she would have gone from gargoyle to human to casket!"

Peter and Diane both looked down.

"Then what are you protecting us from?" Peter asked.

"Sometimes things or people need protecting from themselves," Coyote answered, "Trust me on this."

There was a short pause. Coyote then continued, "I'm sensing two things from you that is endangering your family. One, neither of you have really accepted that Elisa loves Goliath. Two, your accepting of Elisa becoming a gargoyle has been an illusion."

"But she's our eldest daughter!" Diane protested.

"She still is," Coyote answered, "Now hold on you two. I'm going to take you on a little journey. Hopefully it will clear everything up."

Coyote raised his arms and in a flash of light, all three people disappeared.

Shortly afterward, Goliath and Elisa landed on Diane and Peter's fire escape.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Goliath called.

He then growled slightly, "They're not here."

A nervous Elisa went forward and then began to jimmy the window open, trying her best not to break anything.

"We'll go in and wait for them," Elisa said nervously, "They'll come back sometime. Hopefully before dawn. I just want to talk to them."

Goliath nodded.

**Avalon**

"Go away!" Titania screamed through the door.

"We mean you no harm our Queen," Selene pleaded.

"We wish to help," Phoebe added.

"You are our Queen, Titania, you must still hold court," Luna said.

"We wish to help you regain your former zest," the Weird Sisters said in unison.

"My zest was for Oberon," Titania yelled through the door again, "He is gone now, and I must morn. Why don't you three go pester someone in the mortal realm if you must pester someone? You no longer have to remain on Avalon by law."

The Weird Sisters paused.

"The Queen will not let us help her," Phoebe sighed.

Selene looked to her sisters and looked to the door, "There must be a way to help her get over her grief."

"Maybe Odin or some of the others could help," Luna suggested, "Perhaps even asking the gargoyles or the humans to help. Titania must reclaim the throne of Avalon."

**Over Manhattan**

Broadway and Angela glided together quietly. They were to patrol south from Wyvern while Brooklyn and Lexington would patrol north.

"Quiet night tonight," Broadway commented.

"Uh-huh," Angela added.

Suddenly a magical lasso flew out of nowhere and caught the two gargoyles. Broadway tried with all his might to at least get Angela free, but it was to no avail. They were pulled down to the roof of a nearby building and let down as lightly as if they had landed. Then the lasso disappeared.

"What was that?" Angela asked startled.

"I don't know," Broadway replied.

Broadway was about to say more when he heard the sound of footfalls. They were too light to be a gargoyle's. But something about the sound of the footfalls indicated that whoever this "attacker" was used to walking the way a gargoyle did.

Broadway's eye's glowed white, and Angela's glowed red as a familiar shadow emerged from behind a series of air vents and said, "Help me!"

**Coyote's "Magic Journey"**

Coyote flew ahead with Peter and Diane Maza flying behind.

"For the sake of not confusing anyone, I think will start with problem one first," Coyote said, "Okay now, you know Goliath and Elisa are married now. There's no getting past that. But you still feel that she should have chosen someone else."

"Well, shouldn't a human be with a human?" Diane asked, "I'd be fine with Goliath becoming human."

"Yeah, I can see it now," Coyote joked, "A man between 27 and 35 walking down the streets with no formal education. Of course I'd see Goliath working for minimum wage at Burger King. Mrs. Maza, Goliath has to be who he is. A gargoyle can not live as a human. Even with all of Xanatos's resources, Goliath would never get a decent brake as a human. He must be a gargoyle. It's the only way he can protect this city and live a decent life."

"But why did Elisa have to become a gargoyle?" Diane pleaded.

"We'll get to that, I hope," Coyote answered, "First, I'm going to show you some clips of Goliath and Elisa's times together. Some are good. Some aren't so good. But all of them are important. It shows that they were meant for each other."

Then the three flew into a flash of light and they were suddenly on a rooftop. Below them stood Goliath, Elisa, and Hudson.

"Watch," Coyote said.

They did watch.

"Uh, you guys are paranoid, even for New York. Are you coming on the tour-? Uh, what do I call you, anyway?"

"Must you humans name everything? Nothing's real to you 'til you've named it, given it limits."

"It's not like that. It's just, that, well, uh. Things need names."

"Does the sky need a name? Does the river?"

"The river's called the Hudson."

"Fine, lass, than I will be the Hudson as well."

"Great, Hudson it is. I don't know how I'm gonna keep people from noticing you."

"Simple. We'll stay on the rooftops."

"Uh, easy for you with those wings, but what about me? Well, that answers that question."

"Uh, coming… Hudson?"

"I think not. This new world is too big, too bright, and too loud. Now that I know you're all right, I'll return to guard the castle."

"Well, looks like it's just you and me. What do you want to see?"

"The dangers that threaten me and my kind."

"Lighten up, will you? You're starting to bring me down, and I'm a cop."

They watched Goliath glide off with Elisa in his arms. Coyote kept a cool grin on his face.

"They liked each other from the very beginning!" Diane said in shock.

"I think Hudson knew it too," Peter added.

"Yeah, but right now they don't realize it yet," Coyote sighed, "Come on."

They soon returned the magic tunnel that Coyote was leading them through.

"You gotta admit that Goliath truly loves Elisa," Coyote said to them, "These clips are going to show that."

When they emerged back into "reality" they found themselves in a hospital room. Diane and Peter were both amazed by who was in the room. Elisa lay on the hospital bed, unconscious, barely clinging to life. They saw themselves kneeling at the bed and the then still human Derek Maza standing at the foot of the bed.

"This is when Elisa got shot!" Diane stuttered.

"Yes," Coyote answered, "Just watch."

**Peter and Diane Maza's Apartment**

"Dawn will be coming soon, Elisa," Goliath sighed, "Shouldn't we go back to the Castle?"

"No," Elisa cried, "They aren't talking to me, and I want to know why. We'll stay here until we see them or until the building is destroyed."

Goliath sighed, and placed a hand on her shoulders, "We will get through this, Elisa. We will get through this."

**Castle Wyvern**

Brooklyn arrived at his pedestal for the day early. It had been a quiet couple of nights. Demona had been no where to be found since the Mage's attack on the Eyrie Building. The remaining Quarrymen in New York were still disorganized. Matt hadn't come to the clan ranting about the Illuminati's latest scheme. Yet Brooklyn felt uneasy. He couldn't quite place it.

He sighed to himself as Hudson and Lexington come out behind them.

"Any sign of Goliath or Elisa?" Lex asked.

"No, they must still be at her folk's house," Brooklyn answered.

"Any sign of Angela or Broadway?" Hudson asked.

"I haven't seen them either," Brooklyn sighed.

Then, almost as if on cue, Broadway and Angela landed between Brooklyn and Lexington. Broadway held a redheaded woman under one arm. The woman scrambled out of Broadway's grip and stood defiantly in front of them all.

"Demona," Brooklyn growled.

Demona didn't flinch, but simply answered, "Help me!"

Xanatos had just gotten up for his early morning exercises when Brooklyn and Hudson came barging through the hallways.

"Ah, just the billionaire we wanted to see," Brooklyn joked, "I don't suppose you have some sort of prison cell around here, do you?"

Xanatos blinked at the question and then looked at the sight of the captive that they held.

"The clan's been hunting Demona, I see," he said, "The castle's old dungeons have been remade, they should hold her."

Xanatos paused for a second, "Providing she doesn't do any magic."

"I just want help," Demona sighed.

"That's what they all say!" Brooklyn growled, "That'll work, Xanatos. Maybe Owen could do something to prevent her from using magic. We must hurry. It will be dawn soon."

Xanatos nodded.

**Coyote's Magic Journey**

Peter and Diane watched the images of themselves leave the hospital room. Derek followed behind them. As soon as the door latched they saw the form of Goliath enter through one of the windows. They watched him come and kneel next to the bed, closest to the window.

"Keep fighting, Elisa. Don't give up. Come back to us. Know that I will finish what you started. I will find the man that did this to you, and I will make him pay!"

They then watched Goliath depart and disappear into the night. Coyote then fast forwarded time shortly. Peter and Diane found themselves in a warehouse. On an overhanging gangway, Goliath held Anthony Dracon by an ankle and was on the verge of dropping the gangster to his death.

"You are the one who shot Elisa Maza!"

"Wh-What?"

"Goliath, no! You can't kill him!"

"You think not? Elisa will have her revenge, through me."

Shortly thereafter, the scene returned to Coyote's magic tunnel.

"He was going to kill Dracon because Elisa got shot?" Peter asked.

"Yup, Goliath's you average knight in purple armor," Coyote answered, "They were both 'in love' from the very beginning, but since they didn't really acknowledge it, they were sort of friends. These images I'm showing are, at the present time, only the images that betray how they truly feel about each other."

Peter and Diane looked at each other. They then appeared out of the tunnel and floating in the night sky. Below them glided Goliath and Elisa in her gargoyle form.

"What's this?" Diane asked.

"Coyote, Elisa currently is a gargoyle, and they're already married," Peter said.

"True, but this is still way before that, trust me," Coyote replied, "Just watch."

"I never realized when you were human how beautiful you are."

"You mean you thought I was ugly?"

"Well, uh… careful, updraft!"

Diane sighed, "Of course he starts the romance after some nut turns her into a gargoyle.

"He isn't a nut! He's my brother!" Coyote joked, "Seriously. Demona got her talons on Titania's mirror and summoned my brother Puck through it. Demona made her ill-worded wishes, and Puck acted on them. This is where the ideas of a romance between the two of them begin, but Elisa and Goliath still have a long way to go from here before they're ready to admit it."

"Didn't Demona turn everyone in New York during this time into gargoyles?" Peter asked.

Coyote smiled, "Yes. Hmm, I don't suppose we could take a short sidetrack."

The location changed. The three were now sitting on the fire escape of an apartment. Inside were two gargoyles. One was a tanish colored male, and the other was a dark chocolate brown female.

"Who are they?" Diane asked.

"What? You can't tell?" Coyote asked back, "Look closely."

"Oh my god that's us!" Diane cried again.

"Yep, you were in New York at the time," Coyote replied, "Puck's spell affected every human in Manhattan. Eventually the spell was reversed and you were made human again."

The scene changed. Diane, Peter and Coyote now floated above the clock tower as the gargoyles returned. Elisa was once again in her human form and in Goliath's arms.

"Elisa, I…"

"Yeah, I know. You're as relieved as I am that things are back to normal."

"That's not what I was going to say."

"I know, but that's the way it is."

"They continued to deny their feelings, even after all that?" Diane asked.

"Yeah, come on, there's a lot more to see," Coyote answered.

**Avalon**

Odin glared for a few minutes at the Weird Sisters.

"You three aren't intending to go against her now are you?" Odin asked.

"No, we don't," Luna answered.

"Even you know that Titania must reclaim the throne of Avalon," Selene added.

"Or Oberon's heroic sacrifice will mean nothing," Phoebe finished.

The Norse god fingered his beard for a few minutes. He, as well as any fey, knew the consequences of an empty Avalon throne. It would risk the renewal of the war between the fey that followed Oberon and Titania and the fey that were considered outcasts among their own people. It would also make it easier for the Mage's followers, the Illuminati Society, to fight their own war against the third race.

"I agree with you," Odin admitted, "But bringing someone out of grief will not be easy, and can not be done by manipulation. We must be helpful to Titania."

"All we wish is that the throne be filled," the Weird Sisters said in unison.

**Castle Wyvern**

Dawn came and went. By noon, Xanatos and Owen were watching the cell that Demona had been placed in.

"What are we to do with her, sir?" Owen asked.

"According to Brooklyn, she said she wanted help, but wouldn't say anymore," Xanatos answered, "But I've got my own idea."

"I thought you would sir," Owen replied.

"Come with me, we have some work to do," Xanatos smirked, "If I can't be shrewd businessman who fights the gargoyles, I will be a shrewd businessman who helps the gargoyles."

Owen answered with a laugh normally attributed to Puck.

Demona meanwhile lay crumpled up on the floor of her cell. She had laid there since she had been dumped there. Her mind wandered about from thought to thought. Mostly she worried about what to do with her life. She was human and couldn't do anything. Puck had cast a spell that made it impossible for her to use magic on any member of the clan or on Xanatos and his family. Getting revenge was out, and ridding the world of humans was out.

Xanatos and Owen returned half an hour later. Demona watched the billionaire and his assistant affix some sort of gadget to the ceiling.

"Hope this works," Xanatos muttered.

Owen pulled a remote from his pocket and pressed a button, activating the device. A thin red light then came out from the device and struck Demona squarely in the head. It wasn't painful, but Demona did feel a tingling in her head. It was almost as if the device was reading her mind.

"It's working Mr. Xanatos," Owen announced.

"That's good," Xanatos smirked, "Now the gargoyles won't have to risk a fist fight with Demona. They can just look inside her cranium!"

Owen smirked back, "And you can learn all of Nightstone's secrets."

"Only the secrets that were there BEFORE Sevarius took over," Xanatos replied, "But it should make more money for us anyway."

**Coyote's Magical Journey**

Diane, Peter, and Coyote then reappeared in the room of a rather expensive mansion. Demona, in her gargoyle form, lay unconscious on the floor. Goliath, Elisa, and the man known as Macbeth stood near a fireplace.

"At least now you know you're capable of love, the kind of love that makes life worthwhile. Search for that love, Macbeth," Goliath said to the old Scottish King, and then paused to look at Elisa, "She's out there."

"Is this were they're starting to realize their love for each other?" Peter asked.

"It has to be," Diane stammered, "Did you see the way Goliath looked at Elisa before saying 'she's out there'?"

"It is beginning," Coyote admitted, "But we aren't there yet."

They then returned to Coyote's magical tunnel and continued. When they reappeared they were at the clock tower. Goliath and Elisa were standing together.

"We could not have survived this odyssey without you."

"Hey, it was fun, heh, most of the time. But, there really is no place like home. See? Even Cagney missed it. It was really nice of Broadway and Hudson to take care of him while I was gone."

"The clan will always be there for you. I will always be there for you."

"I know."

"If only we were-"

"Shh, we are what we are. Ehh-heh. You better get going, or you'll be caught in the storm."

Diane looked at the whole scene with a bit of shock, "I don't believe it! He wanted here to be a gargoyle!"

"It is what Goliath is probably most comfortable with," Coyote answered, "But remember, he still would admit that he is in love with a human, and doesn't really care if she is a human or a gargoyle."

Coyote then snapped his fingers and they were traveling again. When they reappeared they were outside Elisa's apartment window. They saw Goliath looking in. Inside, they saw Elisa kissing Jason Canmore. The watched Goliath leave.

"He looks like someone just ripped his heart out," Peter noted.

"That's what happens when you're just about to admit your love from somebody, and you think they've fallen for someone else," Coyote answered, "Come on, this part isn't over yet."

Coyote then speed up time again. When time returned to normal they were outside a series of massive waterfalls. Goliath, Elisa, and the clan were facing Jason, Robyn, and Jon Canmore, the Hunters. They watched Elisa and Jason get knocked off the water falls. They heard the clan call Elisa's name. They watched Goliath try to rescue her.

"We heard everything. I-I-I whish I never kept this thing."

"We still need it. Tomorrow night is the Hunter's Moon. It will be the last moon they ever see. Elisa's death will be avenged."

Diane and Peter both blinked.

"But Elisa and Jason both survived, why is Goliath wanting to kill the Hunters for this?" Peter asked.

"He doesn't know that Elisa survived," Coyote answered, "This is just like the incident with Dracon and Elisa getting shot. Something bad happened to Elisa, and Goliath being her knight in purple armor must either save her or make her death worth it."

Before Diane and Peter could answer, Coyote speed up time again. When they emerged they were floating over the tallest tower of Castle Wyvern.

"Here is where Goliath and Elisa finally admit their love," Coyote announced.

"So, things have come full circle."

"Somehow they always do. You know how I feel about you, right?"

"How we both feel. Yes."

"Good."

They watched Elisa kiss the large gargoyle, and then turn to leave as the gargoyle smiled and turned to stone.

"Welcome home, Goliath. Welcome home."

Soon afterward they were floating in a void. Only bright colors of greens and blues broke what was otherwise nothing. Diane and Peter looked at each other and then looked at Coyote. Each sighed heavily.

"Goliath and Elisa certainly have been through a lot together," Peter said.

"And that was just the mushy stuff!" Coyote said.

"Coyote, I can admit that Goliath truly loves my daughter," Diane said, "What I can't get used to is my daughter being a gargoyle. We've already lost Derek's humanity to that Sevarius character. Now the Mage has taken away Elisa's. What about Beth? What about us?"

"You want to be gargoyles too?" Coyote asked.

"NO!" was the unanimous response, "We want to know why does Elisa have to be a gargoyle, why couldn't the Mage have picked out someone else."

"Ah," Coyote answered, "The Mage picked Elisa because Castaway picked her specifically. Castaway picked her because of her association with the gargoyles. There could have been another possibility that would save Elisa from the transformation at this point and time. I can show you the results if you wish."

Diane and Peter looked at each other and then asked in unison, "Will this help us get used to Elisa being a gargoyle?"

"I hope so," Coyote said, "But essentially it's a what if situation to help you see the upside to what happened by showing you how things could have turned out."

**Flagstaff, Arizona**

Beth slammed her dorm phone back down hard and in an aggravated fashion.

"Trouble?" her roommate asked.

"No," Beth replied, "My folks aren't home. I was going to ask them if they were going to bring my sister and brother out, but they aren't there to answer."

"Didn't you say your sister and brother are always busy with something?" her roommate asked again.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I still hope that they come," Beth sighed.

"They're cops right?" her roommate asked.

"Who?" Beth replied.

"Your brother and sister."

"My sister's a cop yes, and my brother, well…he's more into social services," Beth answered, "You know, helping the homeless. Why do you ask?"

"I saw one of those old debates about those gargoyles in New York, and I thought that they might be involved with them somehow," her roommate admitted, "You know, like the gargoyles task force?"

Beth sighed, "Elisa's involved in that, sorta. Derek, he mostly follows them on the news because of a personal interest. But, you shouldn't believe everything you see on TV. Neither my brother nor my sister are really involved in all that stuff."

"Oh," her roommate answered.

**Nightstone Unlimited**

Alex Sevarius strolled down to the lab of his creator Anton. He found the mad doctor working on some sort of formula on a computer.

"What is it Alex?" Sevarius asked.

"Nothing, just curious as to what we're secretly doing," Alex replied.

"Ah, this is where it gets fun, Alex," Sevarius answered, "Now you don't have my knowledge in genetics, but you do know about the mutates I created, right?"

"Yes," Alex said, "It was brilliant the way you could alter human DNA on every level with just a short formula."

"I'm about to outdo that brilliance," Sevarius bragged, "When Demona was in charge here she never wanted mutates to help her in her cause. Now that I'm in charge, I'm quite happy with mutate slaves. I still have the original formula that can create a cat-based mutate, but right now I want to try something different. Fang never got along well with taking orders from Xanatos or Talon. The problem with that is that cats are all individualistic. Even lions to a certain extent. Therefore, I need create a formula that uses an animal that is naturally sociable and gets along well with humans."

"Canines," Alex offered.

"You read my mind," Sevarius grinned back, "I don't have the full formula ready yet, but I already have in mind WHO my first test subjects will be. All that matters now is to get the robot Coldsteel back online and hire some extra muscle to capture them."

"Coldsteel is still offline, brother?" Alex asked.

Sevarius growled at his computer, "Yes, but then robotics was always Xanatos's department. I wouldn't worry though. I'm making progress, and the extra muscle will be very easy to obtain."

Alex Sevarius looked at the computer screen, and then looked at Anton Sevarius.

"What is the status on the location of Demona's whereabouts? I don't want her coming back here," Sevarius asked.

"I don't know," Alex answered, "The spies you hired have not reported any sightings."

"Oh well, either way we're too far along to be stopped now," Sevarius sighed, "Keep up the good work."

"Yes sir," Alex answered.

**Avalon**

Princess Catherine had Gabriel set her down on Titania's balcony with a platter of food. She sighed loudly at the heavy black drapes that Titania had hung over the windows and the entrance to the room. She was somewhat nervous about all this when the Weird Sisters asked her to help. Titania was almost as powerful as Oberon, and anyone mourning the loss of someone they loved is bound to act somewhat irrational.

"Queen Titania," Princess Catherine whispered, "Ye haven't eaten much since returning to Avalon. Yer children wish you to eat something."

"Go away!" Titania yelled, "I know what you're all trying to do! Nothing will help."

"Can we try?" Catherine asked.

"No, it's impossible for you to understand how I feel!" Titania yelled again.

"Ye are wrong Queen Titania," Catherine sighed, "I have lost many a good friend in my life. I've even lost much of my own family."

Titania didn't answer. Catherine poked her head through the drapes. Titania lay across the bed on her stomach. A magically projected image of Oberon hovered just in front of her position on the bed. Catherine set the tray down on an end table.

"I'll leave this food here for you, Queen Titania," Catherine sighed, "I'll come back for it later."

She slowly walked back out and motioned for Gabriel to come down and carry her back to the battlements. Upon reaching the battlements, she was greeted by the Weird Sisters and Odin. Although, Odin seemed to be supervising what the Sisters were doing.

"The Queen is cured now?" Selene asked.

"She will take her throne?" Phoebe added.

Catherine bowed politely, "She has lost someone she loves. This will take time. I'm sorry if that displeases you."

"Then we must plan our next move to console her," Luna said.

"We mustn't treat this as if it's a scheme or battle," Catherine replied, "The only way to truly 'cure' her is to get her to talk to us. The only way she will talk to us is if she sees that we truly care."

"And that will take time," Odin nodded.

"Sadly yes."

**Coyote's Magical Journey**

When Peter, Diane, and Coyote emerged from his 'magical tunnel' they were once again at Castle Wyvern. The sun was just setting and Xanatos could be seen standing near the statue of Goliath.

"Don't disappoint me," Xanatos warned the statue.

The sun set. Nothing happened. Xanatos stood there for about five minutes, but nothing happened.

"Damn," Xanatos growled, "This was a complete waste of time! Demona was wrong!"

Peter and Diane looked at each other.

"Obviously Goliath doesn't awaken in this story," Diane sighed.

They then tentatively followed Xanatos down the stairs. By the time they had reached the great hall, Owen had met up with Xanatos.

"Demona's idea didn't pay off the gargoyles are asleep still," Xanatos snarled.

"At least you have the castle," Owen said, "And the gargoyle statues will make fascinating art."

"Yes, they well," Xanatos smirked.

They turned to the sound of footsteps. As they turned Peter and Diane froze.

"Don't worry," Coyote assured them, "In these visions I've shown you, no one can see or here you."

Several men in what was considered gear under experimentation for the US Army's Special Forces came storming in.

"I'm sorry boys, the plan failed," Xanatos sighed, "The gargoyles are-"

Xanatos was interrupted by a series of roars.

"- just now awakening!" Xanatos shouted, "Quickly, just go grab the disks and run out. I'll chase you like you've actually stolen something!"

Diane and Peter were suddenly transported to the battlements. They saw Goliath and the gargoyles who would become Hudson, Bronx, Broadway, Lexington, and Brooklyn.

"Why isn't Angela here?" Diane blurted, not really thinking.

"Angela didn't join the clan til after Goliath and Elisa's 'World Tour'," Coyote explained, "Angela is right now on Avalon with Princess Catherine, Guardian Tom, and the Magus."

They were interrupted by Goliath, "We're awake! We're alive! We're together again!"

Suddenly the clouds below them cleared and the gargoyles looked out in amazement at New York City for the first time. They only turned when they heard strange mechanical sounds and a man yelling.

"Stop! Thieves!" Xanatos yelled, "You won't get away that easy!"

"We already have!" one of the 'theives' yelled back, as he leaped into a helicopter.

"What was that thing?" Brooklyn asked.

"A dragon without a doubt!" Hudson answered.

"It wasn't a dragon!" Lexington exclaimed, "It was a machine of some sort."

Goliath sighed, "Come, we must check the man who those men stole from."

Peter and Diane watched Goliath and the others land in front of Xanatos who was kneeling on the ground as if out of breath. Xanatos looked up.

"You're alive!" Xanatos exclaimed with a mixture of surprise and jubilation.

"Aye, lad," Hudson answered, "And who be ye?"

"I am David Xanatos," Xanatos announced, standing up, "I own this castle now. This is utterly fascinating. I've read a story about you from a book in Ussex, but I never thought that gargoyles were real! Who are you?"

Goliath motioned to the others, "My kind have no names, but humans call me Goliath."

"Fascinating," Xanatos smirked, "The rest of you will have to take names eventually. Since the story is true, I must tell you that it's been a thousand years since the spell was cast. The Magus who cursed you wrote the whole story down in that book in Ussex. I currently have it in my possession as a souvenir."

"Souvenir?" Goliath asked.

"Think of like this, you go to England from France, you get something that is unique to England and England alone, and you return to France with it," Xanatos answered.

"We are from Scotland," Goliath corrected.

"True, Scotland is where I bought the castle, but Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and England are all one country now. It's called the United Kingdom," Xanatos answered, "The King and or Queen rule from and the Parliament meets in London."

"How did you break the spell?" Hudson asked.

"I didn't believe the spell was real actually," Xanatos lied, "I liked the castle and thought you were merely carved statues."

"We are more than carved statues," Goliath growled.

"I can see that," Xanatos smirked, "And now that I know that the story was real and that you are real, I want to be your friend. There is much that I can do for you. According to the story, you are the last of your kind."

"Such as?" Goliath asked.

"You could help me get those disks back that those thugs stole from me," Xanatos answered, "I can explain them to you inside if you wish."

Coyote then snapped his fingers, and Diane and Peter soon found themselves standing outside the old 23rd Precinct Headquarters.

"Why are we here?" Diane asked.

"This is in the timeframe before the Hunters destroyed the clock tower," Coyote answered, "Elisa's precinct still works here."

**Castle Wyvern, Dusk**

Xanatos intercepted the gargoyles shortly after they broke free of their stone shells. Goliath and Elisa were missing, but according to Brooklyn and the clan, they were off at Elisa's parent's apartment. Xanatos led them to his office, instead of to the dungeon where Demona was being held prisoner.

"Why are we here, Xanatos?" Brooklyn demanded.

"Well, neither of us have really gotten along entirely well with Demona," Xanatos said, "Even when I was the clan's enemy, Demona and I didn't get along well. I guess you could say, 'this town wasn't big enough fer the both of us!' Now Demona also hates Elisa with a vengeance and would probably kill her and Goliath if she had the chance, and both of them could return at anytime. I don't want Demona getting upset and testing the limits of the Eyrie Buildings generators. Also, Brooklyn, you seem to hate Demona more than any other of the clan, I think it'd be wise if the clan, and you specifically, stayed away from her to prevent the castle from being destroyed."

"Then how are we to figure out what she's up to?" Angela asked.

Xanatos smirked, "Observe."

Xanatos pulled out a small remote from his pocket and pointed it the television screen in his office. The image was that of the human Demona huddled on the floor.

Suddenly over the intercom they heard Demona's voice say, "I've lost all purpose. I've lost all purpose."

"How did she do that? Her lips didn't move!" Broadway stammered.

Lex smacked him in the back of the head, "Ventriloquism."

"Where's the dummy?" Brooklyn asked with a slight grin.

"It's nothing like that, I assure you," Xanatos smirked again, "Before you guys saved Alexander from Oberon I had been working on a device that would allow me to read someone's mind. The prototype was just completed when Oberon arrived, and after we became allies, I saw no need to continue the project."

"You're readin' 'er mind?" Hudson asked.

"Yup, the device keys on her personal brainwave frequency," Xanatos answered, "The device can read everything in her mind and record it onto a disk. I've only figured out how to get her current thoughts to be projected audibly."

"You wouldn't be doing anything illegal with her, are you Xanatos?" Brooklyn demanded, "Although I hate Demona more than anyone, I doubt Goliath and Elisa would approve of such action, and I'd never willingly go against Goliath."

Xanatos smirked, "Well, it isn't illegal what I'm doing, but that's only because there's no law that says I can't. Besides, it's all for the best right. We'll have hard evidence of her wanting to kill all humans and Detective Maza in particular, as well as what she is currently up to. I'll simply get to benefit by capitalizing off of some Nightstone secrets. Nothing no other CEO hasn't done before."

Brooklyn looked over at Broadway who shrugged.

"You can take the business man out of evil and shrewdness," Brooklyn thought, "But you can't take the shrewdness out of the business man."

Brooklyn then glared at Xanatos, "Alright, but keep the disks you want to make more money with hidden. If Goliath or Elisa find out about this part of your plan to help us, I'll wring your neck MYSELF!"

"Scout's honor," Xanatos smirked again, raising the first two fingers of his right hand to his eyebrow.

**Coyote's Magic Journey**

Peter and Diane stood with Coyote for a few minutes outside the 23rd Precinct Headquarters. Eventually they saw what looked like Morgan coming in from a patrol, and Elisa coming out.

"Another quiet night, Detective?" Morgan asked politely.

"You have no idea," Elisa answered, "You'd even think that David Xanatos would suffer some sort of 'mob attack' or something for moving a medieval castle to the top of Eyrie Building and declaring residency there! Who does he think he is? The King of England?"

"Very funny Detective," Morgan answered.

They followed Elisa back to her apartment. She walked in, ate a quick "dinner", fed Cagney, and went to sleep. They then disappeared and reappeared in Castle Wyvern. They were specifically in Xanatos's office. Goliath and the entire clan are there.

"It is almost dawn, Xanatos. My friends and I must sleep soon," Goliath growled.

"This shouldn't take too long. Remember the disks that were stolen from me?" Xanatos replied.

"Disks?" Goliath asked.

"Think of them as magic talismans, each one containing hundreds of spells. I need your help getting them back," Xanatos answered.

"Isn't there someone else you can go to?" Broadway asked, "I'd like to tour the city tomorrow night."

"I'd advise against that," Xanatos warned, "Remember, you are the last gargoyles on earth according to the Magus. Humans will fear you, and do something that I'm sure they'll regret later. I can't go to the police, because I've actually had problems like this before and the police captain for this part of Manhattan has told me in so many words, that I'm 'crying wolf'. They won't help me, and they will also come snooping around here."

Goliath sighed, "What would you have us do?"

"My sources have indicated that those thieves were hired by a multinational company called Cyberbiotics," Xanatos replied.

Xanatos then placed a video caste into a television VCR in his office. The screen light up with images of Cyberbiotics installations.

"It's like a … a living tapestry!" Hudson exclaimed.

Xanatos chuckled, "The stolen data is being held in three different locations. The first is in a research center on a small island in the bay. The second is deep beneath the city in a heavily fortified base. The third is being kept in a huge air fortress that flies in a holding pattern over the city. All three places must be hit simultaneously so none will be able to notify the others. It seems an absurd amount of protection, I know. But rest assured the information is that important."

"Why do we need to help you?" Brooklyn asked.

"This must be done before their scientists break the encryption codes. Before they translate the spells," Xanatos answered.

"This is much different than protecting the castle," Goliath replied back, "It will endanger the others, and none of us know anything about this city. Nor do we know anything about you!"

Xanatos looked down for a moment, "I can understand that you don't trust me. But do you believe in right from wrong? Do you believe it is right for Cyberbiotics to steal from me? To steal from your home?"

Goliath looked at Xanatos growled, "Fine, but let us learn more about this city first."

"I can provide a televised tour tomorrow night, and I'll have Owen bring a variety of local foods," Xanatos answered with a smirk.

Goliath turned and walked out. As he left a hidden panel opened and the gargoyle form of Demona stepped out.

Xanatos smirked, "Don't worry, we're ahead of schedule."

The day went by quickly. The gargoyles remained stone, and Elisa slept. When the next night began Owen appeared in the courtyard and motioned for the clan to come down. They followed him into the great hall. They spent the next several hours watching a film that showed New York's history. A film that showed New York's current culture, and a film that was essentially a walking tour ofNew York City. Broadway ate from several different food platters during each film.

When they were through, Xanatos came up behind them.

"Enjoy the entertainment?" Xanatos asked.

"Yes very!" Lexington announced, "It was cool!"

Xanatos chuckled, "You know you will have to choose names now?"

"Names!" Hudson growled, "What is with ye humans and names?"

"Things need names, just like the river's named the Hudson," Xanatos replied.

"Fine lad, then I shall be the Hudson as well," Hudson sighed.

"Brooklyn!" Brooklyn announced.

"Broadway!"

"Lexington!"

"Woof!" Bronx barked.

Brooklyn smiled, "I know, we'll call you Bronx!"

Goliath and Hudson chuckled to each other, "Come, we will deal with the thieves who robbed the castle tomorrow night."

"One moment!" Xanatos interrupted, "You won't believe this, but I've found another gargoyle! A female. Actually I've had it as an art piece off at Xandu, but since you woke up once the castle came here, I wondered if a trip here would do the same for her. I believe she knows you, Goliath."

Goliath raised a brow ridge and then gasped in shock as Demona came out from behind a heavy door.

"My love!" Goliath cried, as he scooped up Demona in his arms and wings and then turned to stone as the sun rose.

"Coyote, Goliath loves Elisa, not her!" Diane scolded, "What sort of trick are you playing?"

"No tricks," Coyote said, "This is a what if situation that will free your daughter from her current gargoylehood. Since she was chosen by Castaway to become a gargoyle because of her association with the gargoyles, the only possible to reverse that was simply to never have her meet them."

The next night the gargoyles left in groups to go get "Xanatos's" disks. Goliath and Demona went together. Lexington, Broadway, and Brooklyn went together. Hudson carried Bronx. It was nearly dawn when then all returned, and Xanatos was listening to a radio report.

"I'm here with Detective Maza outside the crash site of the Cyberbiotics airship that was robbed less than ten minutes ago," the announcer said, "Detective, what do you think happened here?"

"I don't know," Elisa answered, "All I can tell you are that Cyberbiotics is reporting robberies from three different instillations, including this one. And I could swear I saw something fly away from the wreck of the airship."

"UFOs in Manhattan," the announcer simplified.

"The gargoyles have returned, sir," Owen announced as Xanatos shut the radio off.

"Good, did you get the disks?" Xanatos smirked.

"Right here sir," Owen replied.

Xanatos smirked again, "Good, start building the Steel Clan. Once Goliath and his friends go to sleep for the day, we'll smash them. Demona is immortal and still our partner for now. Leave her alone."

"Yes Mister Xanatos," Owen answered.

Diane and Peter then watched in horror as time passed, the sun rose and the wine of jet engines was heard over the Manhattan skyline. Goliath and his clan were smashed to rubble by the Steel Clan's lasers. Xanatos laughed maniacally. Only the traitorous Demona survived.

**Peter and Diane Maza's Apartment**

Goliath and Elisa helped themselves to some dinner, raided from her parent's fridge. She was about to get Goliath to sit down when the phone rang.

"Hello, Maza residence," Elisa answered.

"Elisa?" a voice asked.

"Beth?" Elisa cried back into the phone, "What's up? I haven't heard from you in ages! Have you talked to mom and dad? I miss you, you know."

Elisa could hear Beth giggle through the phone.

"I'm fine Elisa," Beth answered, "I've been trying to get a hold of mom and dad. They haven't been home for like the past several hours. I miss you too Elisa. Are you and Goliath going to come to my graduation?"

"Graduation?" Elisa asked.

"Yeah," Beth snorted, "I'm graduating college in a few days."

"Is it a DAYTIME ceremony?" Elisa questioned, "Because you know that Goliath and I are 'rock solid' during the day."

"Yes it's a daytime ceremony, yes, but there is a night-time graduation party," Beth answered, "Mom and dad should be coming out."

"Yeah, like they'll let a pair of gargoyles come in," Elisa said into the phone.

"You really don't remember college do you?" Beth said, "Please come! I'd like to see you and Derek again, even if it is only at night and in a dark alley."

"I'm sure that Goliath and I would love to come," Elisa replied, "I'm not sure about Derek though. I'll let you know when we can arrange transportation."

"Thanks sis," Beth yelled excitedly, "You're the best! Are mom and dad there?"

"No, no they're not," Elisa sighed, "I'm waiting for them to talk to me."

**Avalon**

Titania had just finished eating the food that Catherine left, when Princess Catherine returned.

"I'm just here for the tray," Catherine said.

Titania looked at the human princess. She remembered some of the things she heard Catherine said to her earlier.

"You said you've lost people close to you?" Titania asked.

"Yes," Catherine sighed, picking up the tray, "My mother died giving birth to me, and I never knew her. My father died before I could really grow up. The gargoyles died because of my own fear, and the Magus died in the arms trying to keep the Archmage off of Avalon."

"Has it ever gotten easier for you?" Titania asked, "Everywhere I look I see his face."

Catherine smiled, "Death is always hard, it is hardest when it strikes those we are close too. If it hadn't been for Tom, I wouldn't have been able to get over the Magus's death. If it hadn't been for the eggs, I wouldn't have been able to get over the destruction of Goliath's clan. Each death that I know off has hurt me, but yet I've survived them all, because there is someone there to help me."

Titania stood up, "I should apologize to you and to my children. I have taken Oberon's death too hard."

"Ye've done nothing wrong, Queen Titania," Catherine replied, moving onto the balcony and motioning for Gabriel, "All you need to do is find someone or something that makes ye feel better."

**Coyote's Magical Journey**

Time speed forward. Demona partnered with Xanatos helped spread Xanatos's Enterprises technical know-how. Cyberbiotics was the fist company to bit the dust. Xanatos bought the company three months after destroying Goliath and his clan. Old major companies including McDonald Douglas, Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, Northrop-Grumman, Ford, General Motors, and Microsoft were forced to merge in order to keep a competitive edge with Xanatos Enterprises and its thousands of sub companies. Five months after the destruction of Goliath and his clan, there were no major companies left in the United States, save for Xanatos Enterprises.

Elisa continued to work the police force, but was greatly upset by the pace in which Xanatos built his monopoly. But as Diane, Peter and Coyote watched, they could see that more and more that she was alone, and lonely. Working the nightshift put her on duty during the peek activities of local gangs and many of Xanatos's more secret projects, although no one knew it was Xanatos. She worked from dusk till dawn, and was too tired to do anything but sleep, work, and eat. She made friends with fellow detective Matthew Bluestone, but he was moved to the dayshift in order to pursue some secret society.

Xanatos sat in a large and luxurious office. Mounted on the wall were the decapitated stone heads of Goliath, Hudson, Brooklyn, Broadway, Lexington, and Bronx. Owen came into office, and looked somewhat uncomfortable.

"Owen! I didn't send for you?" Xanatos asked.

"We have a –," Owen started, but was interrupted by a powerful electric shock.

"Ye will forgive me fer that," the man behind Owen said.

"Who are you?" Xanatos demanded.

The man looked at the mounted stone heads, "I see ye've had trouble with gargoyles, Mister Xanatos."

Xanatos smirked, "Not for six months."

The man chuckled, "But there is ONE left. Their queen."

"Gargoyles have no queens," Xanatos answered, and then pointed at the unconscious Owen, "He told me that."

"What about Demona?" the man asked.

"You know Demona?" Xanatos asked.

The man laughed, "Know her? I NAMED her! You can call me Macbeth!"

Macbeth then in one punch that caught Xanatos off guard and knocked the tyrannical billionaire out. Macbeth left Xanatos and Owen where they were. He proceeded up the castle's battlements where Demona's stone form stood. Macbeth looked at the evil gargoyle female and smiled.

"Now BOTH our sufferings shall end!" Macbeth yelled and he then tipped Demona's stone form off the castle's walls.

When Demona's body hit the pavement, Macbeth himself screamed with pain before his own body shattered into thousands of small pieces.

Diane and Peter watched Owen and Xanatos return the battlements to see Macbeth's shattered body.

"Where's Demona?" Xanatos asked.

"She is dead sir," Owen answered.

"That's impossible," Xanatos said, "She told us she was immortal."

"Only so long as she didn't kill Macbeth or Macbeth didn't kill her," Owen answered, "This was Macbeth, and in away the Scottish King has done two great deeds. He's removed an evil gargoyle bent on destroying humanity, and he's now made it possible for a new King to rise over the world."

Xanatos grinned evilly. He continued his own evil plots. The mutates were created and manipulated to he his own private bodyguards. He couldn't have every old immortal European noble knocking him out. He also had Sevarius implant a gene in the mutates that made it impossible for them to disobey him. Then came Halloween.

"This 'werewolf' has been attacking people left and right!" Chavez growled at the paper, "They've found twelve half chewed bodies in the last week!"

Elisa, looking much older than she actually was, turned and headed out, "I'll find it! Call animal control too, I might need back up!"

Diane and Peter watched as Elisa maneuvered her way through Manhattan's back alleys and discarded streets. Then suddenly came a growling sound behind her. She turned to see a large red wolf like creature, wearing a glowing medallion around its neck. It growled at her, but was only stopped by flying electricity. Suddenly a large black furred panther with bat wings landed between Elisa and the wolf.

"There's more than one of you!" Elisa yelled.

The mutate turned, "What?"

BLAM!

Elisa fired a single shot. The shot went directly through the mutate's skull killing it instantly. The wolf ran off. The sound of jet engines and more electricity filled the air half a block down, and Elisa ran in that direction. By the time she got there all she could see was a series of black shapes taking off into the sky. When she returned to the scene where she shot the black animal with wings, it was gone.

"She shot Derek!" Diane exclaimed in horror.

"She didn't know it was him," Coyote answered, "Remember is this timeline, because Elisa didn't meet the gargoyles and learn that Xanatos was manipulating them, she had no reason to suspect him of any wrong doing. When Derek joined Xanatos's employ, Elisa didn't become concerned and didn't try to warn him."

"I can't watch anymore," Diane cried, "This story seems to be worse than what really happened."

"It is," Coyote answered, "Because, with Goliath dead, the Archmage will conquer Avalon. The Gathering will never take place. The Mage's war would continue for centuries more, claiming progressively more and more lives. Xanatos would continue to build his own power. He would rise to lead the Illuminati, and he would also disband the entire organization in order to preserve his own power. With the Illuminati gone, the Mage would be Xanatos's last real obstacle to world domination. After a brief alliance, Xanatos and Oberon would be successful in defeating the Mage, much the way it really happened. However, as the Mage dies, Xanatos took the harpoon and killed Titania as well. The third race would join the gargoyles in extinction three millennia later after massive internal wars and attacks by Xanatos."

"What happens to Elisa?" Peter asked.

"Unfortunately, she is killed by Fang less than a week after she killed Talon," Coyote sighed, "Xanatos sent him to kill her, since she killed the best of his mutates."

"How can we avoid all this?" Diane pleaded.

"Accept that Elisa's relationship with the gargoyles has lead to her becoming a gargoyle, and that in the end, everything is much better," Coyote said fading away.

Once Coyote was gone, Diane and Peter found themselves back in their apartment. Each were sitting on the couch. They looked at each other, and then looked over to see Elisa and Goliath eating the dinner they planned to eat the night before.

"Elisa!" Diane exclaimed, "My baby!"

"Mom!" Elisa cried.

**Nightstone Unlimited**

Anton Sevarius watched the metal form of Coldsteel begin to move. He had finally got the robot back online. The controlling device indicated that it was working perfectly.

"Where- Where am I?" Coldsteel asked, his voice sounding more mechanical than it ever did before.

"You are at Nightstone Unlimited, Coldsteel," Sevarius answered, "Don't you remember?"

"No," Coldsteel replied, "All I remember is a blue light and Coldstone punching me in the face."

Sevarius snickered to himself, "Yeah, like your metal face was really damaged by that!"

"Do you know who I am?" Sevarius asked.

Coldsteel turned his head and looked at him, "You are Anton Sevarius, my creator, my master."

Sevarius smiled, "Good, I have a little job for you."

**Devils Den Prison, Upstate New York**

Castaway relished the few moments he was out in the prison's yard. The only side that he hated was that Dracon persistently followed him wherever he went.

"Go away!" Castaway growled at the gangster, "I don't like you."

"You're stuck with me!" Dracon taunted, "Might as well get to know each other."

Castaway looked at the strange look on Dracon's face, "I don't lean that way Dracon."

"I don't either," Dracon answered back, "I was thinking more along the lines of a putting our heads together."

"To do what?" Castaway demanded, "Half the guards here don't exactly play by the rules prison guards are supposed to. They're also much more vigilant than other prison guards. It would be idiotic to risk an escape. Especially when our laundry is taken while they let us shower. If we don't shower then we get no clean laundry."

"Who said anything about escape?" Dracon replied, "I ran my gang from jail before Brode came to America. I'm betting that you can run the Quarrymen from jail. All we need is to figure out a way to bribe the guards for phone privileges and visitation rights."

"Bribe the guards?" Castaway asked.

"Yep," Dracon answered, "So, got any money?"

**Peter and Diane Maza's Apartment**

Peter and Diane were both a little shocked by what they saw on Coyote's magical journey. They were almost as shocked to see Elisa and Goliath waiting for them when they returned.

"Elisa! What are you doing here?" Diane cried out, "Are you alright?"

Elisa didn't answer, and seemed to be on the verge of tears. Goliath stepped forward.

"We are here because Elisa is afraid you no longer care for her," he explained, and then his voice shifted to something that sounded like a growl, "And I would tend to agree. Just because she is a gargoyle now does not mean that she doesn't wish to lose you. And you have not talked to her."

Diane then broke down, grabbing Elisa in her arms she cried, "I'm sorry Elisa, I'm sorry. We didn't mean to hurt you. We just we're really prepared for you to be a gargoyle forever. We didn't mean to hurt you."

Elisa wrapped her wings around her mother, "Do you still love me?"

"Of course we do," Diane answered, "You're still our daughter. We just – took your announcement about you being unable to be human again too hard. I'm sorry."

Peter walked up to Goliath, "I'm sorry about all this. I guess we tried to be strong when we thought there was a possibility of a cure for her, but I don't think we were ready for how it turned out."

"You mustn't think of Elisa's gargoyle form as a disease that can be cured," Goliath answered, "That sort of thinking is what makes it so dangerous for my kind. People think we're a frightening disease, and they become all too willing to join groups like the Quarrymen."

"I'm sorry," Peter sighed.

Diane stared into Elisa's dark eyes, "Can you forgive me?"

"You're forgiven already," Elisa answered, "You're my mom."

"You and Goliath can have children now?" Diane asked.

"Yes, but I won't be able to become pregnant till 2008," Elisa answered with a week smile.

Diane hugged Elisa again, "We'll try to come visit more."

"Thanks mom," Elisa replied, then looking at the food that she and Goliath had been eating, "Care for dinner?"

**Avalon**

Catherine was walking through Avalon Castle's hallways for some exercise and to ponder on her own thoughts. Suddenly a voice came from behind her.

"You needn't worry. You've helped me in more ways than you could image."

Catherine turned to see Queen Titania in Avalon's throne room; she was sitting on her throne. A mirror sat in front of Titania. Catherine couldn't see what Titania was looking at because of the mirror's angle, but the presence of Titania on her throne was slightly surprising.

"Have ye overcome yer grief, Queen Titania?" Catherine asked.

Titania sighed, "Not entirely, I don't think I ever will. Would you if you were to lose the Guardian?"

"No," Catherine answered.

Titania looked to the mirror, "You were right though. I just need to find someone who can give me some measure of comfort."

"May I ask who?" Catherine asked curiously.

Titania smiled, and turned the mirror so that Catherine could look in, "My grandson."

**Peter and Diane Maza's Apartment**

"So what brought about your change of mind?" Elisa asked, "Why are you now willing to admit that I am a gargoyle now? Not that I don't like it, but it is something that won't go away and something that you don't normally expect."

"We had a visit from a certain Coyote," Peter answered, "He showed us some stuff that you and Goliath have done together and a scenario that would try to show what would have happened in order to keep you from being a gargoyle."

"Tell us about it," Goliath said.

"Coyote told us that the Mage was told transform Elisa because she was the person who associated the closest with the gargoyles," Peter answered, "The only way to prevent that would have the gargoyles reawaken more than ten minutes after they did in the actual timeline. Therefore there was no battle at Castle Wyvern to attract the police and Elisa. Xanatos was able to get his Steel Clan online without opposition. Goliath and the clan were destroyed. Then without the clan, there was no one to really keep Macbeth and Demona apart, and they killed each other. Since Elisa never met the gargoyles and then discovered Xanatos's secret plans to manipulate and destroy them, she never suspected him of anything, and when Derek joined Xanatos's employ, Elisa never suspected anything wrong. Derek was mutated into Talon, and then while Elisa was tracking down some werewolf, Talon on a mission from Xanatos landed in front of her. Elisa accused Talon of being another monster attacking people and killed him on the spot. Xanatos later sent Fang to kill Elisa for killing Talon. After that he proceeded to conquer the world."

Elisa blinked and then looked over to Goliath, "It seems that we'd both have met very unhappy ends if we hadn't met."

"It was destiny my love," Goliath said, and then taking one of Elisa's hands in his, "You and I are one. Now and forever."

Elisa only smiled.

"Were we ever like that?" Peter asked leaning over toward Diane.

"Probably, but don't get any ideas," Diane answered with a smile, "Oh, by the way, Beth will be graduating from college soon. We'll be going out there to Flagstaff to watch."

"Yeah, she called while Coyote was taking you through time and space," Elisa interrupted, "She asked if Derek and I were coming. I told her Goliath and I would love to come if we could arrange transportation, even if we could only see her after the ceremony. I don't know about Derek and Maggie."

Diane smiled, "I guess it could be a family reunion. We'll give Derek a call, and you can dangle Xanatos off of a cliff till he gives you a two way ticket."

Goliath and Elisa chuckled.

**Nightstone Unlimited**

Anton Sevarius walked casually into Nightstone's main office. The office formerly used by Demona and now by Anton's clone Alex.

"Have you called Cyberbiotics?" Anton asked.

"Yes," Alex answered with a grin, "Spoke with Renard himself. Jackal is still in his employ in Guatemala."

"That means the local gargoyle clan doesn't like Jackal there," Anton Sevarius chuckled.

"There are gargoyles in Guatemala! How do you know that?" Alex asked.

"I helped upgrade the Pack back when both I and they worked for Xanatos," Anton smiled, "I had a special chip put into Jackal and Hyena, and a special gene into Wolf. They allow me to keep tabs on the Pack, should I ever need them again. When Renard's assistant, Preston Vogel sent Jackal and Hyena to Guatemala, I was able to follow their movements."

"Genius," Alex said.

"Yes," Anton replied, "The only two Pack members I can't keep tabs on are Fox and Dingo. Fox never escaped to participate in the upgrading process, and Dingo took power armor, much like Xanatos's Steel Clan exo-frame, but resembling a wild dog than a gargoyle."

Alex Sevarius nodded.

"Coldsteel should be arriving there in a few hours," Anton said, "I want you to rearrange the payroll system here at Nightstone. We will be having some guests here soon."

**Castle Wyvern**

Angela stood quietly on the battlements as Goliath and Elisa returned to Castle Wyvern.

"Hello, Father, Elisa," Angela greeted, "Did everything go okay?"

They landed and smiled.

"Yes, things have gone quite well," Goliath answered.

"Goliath and I have been invited to go see Beth graduate from college," Elisa added, "Or at least be at her post graduation party. We'll be leaving in a few days if Xanatos is cooperative."

"And your parents?" Angela asked.

"They were just trying to get over the fact that I'm a gargoyle now," Elisa sighed, "They had no intention of upsetting me. They were even upset that they did so."

"How have things been here?" Goliath inquired.

"Well, I know you told us not to make contact with Demona," Angela began, "But you didn't tell her not to contact us! She found me and Broadway on patrol and had us bring her here. Broadway, Bronx, and Hudson are guarding her. Brooklyn and Lexington are on patrol."

Goliath's eyes flashed white for a second, but said nothing.

"Demona is also acting weird father," Angela added, "She keeps saying 'I have no purpose'. What does that mean?"

Goliath and Elisa looked at each other. Elisa shrugged.

"I don't know," Goliath sighed heavily, "But I guess I should find out."

"I'll need to talk to Xanatos," Elisa said.

**Eyrie Building, Xanatos's Office**

Xanatos was busy watching a computer screen, on which the data his device had read from Demona's mind had been stored.

"Damn," Xanatos growled, "Almost half of her ideas are ideas that she stole from me! And the other half we can't use!"

"We never patented those projects sir," Owen said, "There was nothing we could do to stop her from steeling them."

"I know," Xanatos sighed, "But it gets sort of depressing when you breakout an untested mind reading device to make a little extra money and find out you were better off not using the device. Especially since I won't be using it on the gargoyles. That wouldn't exactly be good since the clan and I are allies."

"Perhaps you could still keep the device for interrogations, sir," Owen offered, "Both you and the gargoyles have some notable enemies."

Xanatos nodded, when suddenly he heard the doors to his office opened. He watched Elisa walk in.

"Good evening Detective," Xanatos greeted her, "How are you? No trouble I hope?"

"No trouble," Elisa replied, "I just have a favor that I'd like you to do for me."

**Castle Wyvern's Dungeon**

Demona was still huddled on the floor of her cell when Goliath came into the dungeon. He watched the human form of his former mate huddle there. Both Hudson and Broadway asked about Elisa. Goliath assured them that everything on that front was now fine.

"How long has she been like this?" Goliath asked, pointing at Demona.

"Well, she's been a human since the Mage got his hands on her, and she hasn't moved from that spot since she arrived," Broadway answered.

"She also repeats the same phrase over and over again," Hudson added, "It's 'I have no purpose'."

Goliath sighed, "That's what Angela said. You two may leave, I will talk to her."

"If ye say so, lad," Hudson said, and then motioning to Bronx, "Come boy."

Goliath watched them leave, and then turned his eyes to Demona. He sighed heavily. He could hear Demona repeat her depressed phrase over and over again through the force field Xanatos had erected to keep her in her cell.

"Demona?" Goliath asked.

Demona finally stopped repeating the phrase and looked up. Goliath stood outside her cell, looking in.

"Goliath! You'll help me!" Demona cried, as she got up and came up to the force field, "I've lost my life! I'm a gargoyle! I'm not a human!"

"And the Mage has cursed you to be one forever," Goliath finished, he then sighed, "The clan has told me what you've been repeating. Your only purpose in life before the Mage was the destruction of all humanity and Elisa in particular! I have no sympathy for you."

"I have done nothing!" Demona yelled back, "The humans did everything! This "Elisa" you refer to has corrupted you and the entire clan! I want to help you, but I need your help to become a gargoyle again! My love together we can get rid of the humans that threaten our kind and that human masquerading as a gargoyle. It is the only way to gain a purpose for me."

"Demona, you yourself told me that you made the deal with the Captain of the Guards to betray the castle to the Vikings," Goliath growled, "Your ranting for vengeance against humanity is no different then the Mage's rants for vengeance against the third race. He offered you power to strike at humanity, and you took him up on his offer. My 'love' for you died when you betrayed our clan and left me to sleep for a thousand years. I have no sympathy for you."

"No! He tricked me," Demona yelled.

"Forgive the cliché, Demona, but 'it takes two to tango'," Goliath replied, "You didn't have to listen to the Mage. You didn't have to partner with him. You didn't have to betray the clan. Everything you've done has been out of hatred. You betrayed the clan to the Vikings because you hated the way we were 'treated'."

"Didn't you see?" Demona yelled, "Humans should always bow to us!"

"It is that same sort of thinking that got six million innocent humans killed between 1933 and 1945," Goliath answered, "It is that sort of thinking that kept blacks slaves from the beginning ofAmerica to 1865 and separate from whites in "equal" facilities from 1890 to the 1960s. Feeling superior to someone else doesn't make you superior or right!"

"Human matters are none of my concern!" Demona yelled back, "We are a species superior to humans! It is our destiny to rule them! And because of a wizard's trickery, I'm cursed to be inferior! I have no purpose."

"Perhaps you should join the Klu Klux Klan then," Goliath growled, "I here they like hate people for no apparent reason."

"How dare you!" Demona yelled, "After all the Vikings and humans of done to gargoyles! You have the nerve to accuse ME of being racist?"

"Who betrayed our clan?" Goliath growled.

"The Captain of the Guard!" Demona snarled.

"AND YOU!" Goliath replied slowly.

"The Hunters nearly killed your daughter AND this precious Elisa you love so much," Demona yelled back.

"Who created the legacy of the Hunters?" Goliath questioned, "And you do realize that Jason Canmore and his sister repented and confessed. They are in jail, and Castaway, or Jon Canmore, is also now in jail."

Demona said nothing.

"Everything you've done has been out of hatred and has only brought more hatred in return," Goliath said, "I understand that you have no purpose, but your purpose was not honorable or just. I have no sympathy for you."

Demona snarled incoherently. Goliath turned to leave.

"You must look deep inside yourself Demona," Goliath warned her, as he left, "You must look deep inside yourself and decide if your great quest for revenge was truly worth it. Because the Mage told Elisa that there is no possible way for you to become a gargoyle again!"

Demona only screamed as Goliath left.

As he returned to the tower, where the rest of the clan was preparing to spend the day, Hudson approached him.

"What's wrong with her?" Hudson asked, "Demona isn't normally like this."

"She is depressed because she thought the Mage was worth listening to," Goliath answered, "He turned her into a human and she partnered with him. She knows that now that she is human that any attempt to destroy humanity will destroy her. She has lost the one insane purpose she had in her lonely life."

"I am sorry, lad," Hudson sighed.

"Don't be, Old Friend," Goliath answered, then looking up at Elisa, as she hopped up onto her pedestal next to his on the top of the tower, "Elisa is far more beautiful than Demona ever was, and more importantly Elisa's heart and mind is purer and keener that Demona's ever was."

Hudson smiled, "Ye 'traded up' then?"

Goliath only chuckled.

**Flagstaff, Arizona**

"Hello?"

"Is Beth Maza there?" came Diane's voice through the phone.

"Yeah, hold on," her roommate answered, and then walked out and screamed down the hall, "HEY BETH! YOUR MOM'S CALLING YOU!"

Beth walked around a corner of in hall that was barely three feet away.

"Jeez, the whole dorm must have heard you!" Beth complained, "I was just getting some water."

"You wanna talk to your mom or not?" her roommate asked.

"Gimme that," Beth growled, grabbing the phone, "Mom?"

"Beth what was all the yelling about?" Diane asked.

"Sorry mom, that was my roommate," Beth whispered, "She can't tell five feet from five inches."

"Ah-ha," was Diane's reply, "We've talked with Derek and your sister. They should be coming out, depending on whether or not they can talk Xanatos into giving them a lift."

"That's great!" Beth answered, "Is that all?"

"Yeah, oh, and I love you," Diane said.

"I love you too, mom," Beth said as she hung up.

After hanging up the phone, she was hit in face by a flying pillow.

"You're precisely three point six feet away from me," her roommate said in 'a matter a fact' tone.

Beth shrugged and picked up the pillow, "Serves me right for rooming with a girl wanting to be a surveyor," she thought.

**Illuminati Headquarters**

The eight chairs each with a number carved into them were filled with surprised and in awe members of the top Illuminati Council. Floating above the table was the ghostly spectral image of the Mage himself.

"Mage, you have returned," said Eight.

"Only in spirit my followers," replied the Mage, "It will be a thousand years before I can take a physical form again. This form is currently that of a ghost."

"The gargoyle Maza killed you," Said One, "We shall make her pay for her crime."

"That is not necessary," the ghost of the Mage answered, "She killed me by my hand! I am a human wizard with powers equal to any member of the third race. I had to die to bring about my greatest glory, so I magically taped into her brain and shut off everything that was human about Elisa Maza and left only an angry gargoyle. Of course the spell left her as I died, but it went as I foresaw it! That's why my 'last words' were 'But I won. But I won.' Get the picture."

"What do you wish of us master?" asked Two.

**Castle Wyvern's Dungeon**

Demona looked up when she heard footsteps approach.

"What do you want, Puck?" Demona growled.

"Mr. Xanatos instructed me to bring you food," Owen answered.

Owen deactivated part of the force field, and passed the tray to Demona. Demona only growled at him.

"Strange how a being with no 'purpose' in life can be so ungrateful," Owen said in a Puckish tone.

"What?" Demona snarled.

Outside the cell, Owen shifted into Puck and he floated just outside the force field smiling at her.

"Well you say you have no purpose and yet you come here and proceed to make Goliath mad," Puck teased.

"What would you know about losing anything," Demona growled, "I've lost my gargoyle hood, partially to you and what was left to the Mage."

Puck smiled back, "You told me to make so you wouldn't turn to stone anymore, and I gave you what you wanted. Now I'm sure the Mage transformed you into a human on his own, but I'm also sure that you listened to him."

Demona only growled, "I didn't want to turn to human during the day! And least you could have done was make the transformations painless."

"I never had the power to make a gargoyle remain in gargoyle form, but not turn to stone," Puck said, "I even doubt that Oberon had that ability. The only way I could give you the sun was to transform you into a gargoyle that changes between human and gargoyle forms. As for the pain issue, everything has its price. Yours simply happened to be the pain of transformation."

"I can't even have that anymore," Demona sighed.

"Yep, you screwed yourself twice over!" Puck laughed.

"Go away, I didn't allow myself to be imprisoned to be insulted," Demona yelled.

"Well what you usually do?" Puck laughed again, and then took a more serious look, "Perhaps, Demona, that if you have no current purpose, you need to find a new one."

"What?" Demona asked.

"A new purpose in life," Puck mused, "You know, now that you are human, maybe you could, I don't know, protect humans."

"Humans are weak," Demona snarled, "I would never protect them."

"Well you can't kill them anymore," Puck pointed out.

"I just want to be a gargoyle again," Demona sighed.

Puck smiled, "If I had the power to safely do that over the Mage's spell I would, but I can't. You've dug your own grave, Demona. You must look inside yourself and decide if what you've done in the past thousand years has truly been worthwhile. The alliances you forged and then betrayed. The clans you lead the various Hunters to. The clans you abandoned once the Hunter found them. The clans, which you never met, that were destroyed by the Hunters in their quest to find you. The fact that you've lost your own clan. Goliath will never chose you over Elisa. Their hatchlings will never follow you. Brooklyn hates your guts and his hatchlings will never follow you. Angela and Broadway might be willing to listen if you prove yourself capable of looking in the mirror and saying 'ya know, it was really me all along, and I should really be trying to kick my own butt, and not be chasing after the obliteration of mankind'. It's a matter of choices Demona. You are facing that now. You can choose to remain the clan's enemy, and rot in this prison, or you could reform, and I might be able to persuade Goliath and Xanatos to let you out."

With that Puck vanished. Demona only paused to look at the cell she was in. She looked at the food Owen had offered her.

**Cemetery on Long Island**

Brendan Yale stood quietly before the grave where Margot was buried. He was starting to get over all that had happened to him, but there were things that would stay with him forever. One was this robotic form. The other was the fact that Margot was gone.

"You're keeping tabs on me," Brendan sighed.

"How did you know I was here?" Matt Bluestone asked walking up beside him.

"My sensors indicated someone was behind me," Brendan answered, "You are probably the only human that would come up quietly and not scream."

"Well, I'm sort of into weird stuff," Matt chuckled, "And yes, I'm keeping tabs on you."

"I haven't attacked anyone recently," Brendan answered.

"I know," Matt sighed, "I just thought you might like some company, since you don't want to live in the Labyrinth with the mutates and you can't exactly stay in the castle till night falls and the gargoyles awaken."

"True, but over the past week I've been wondering, how come Goliath and the others didn't turn out like this Demona character?" Brendan asked, "A few people have seen me in this form, and they screamed Bloody Mary! It then clicked in my mind that that is exactly what Margot and I did the instant we saw any one of the gargoyles. How can they live with being rejected by everybody and everything?"

"Everyone doesn't hate them," Matt answered, "Not everyone will hate you."

Brendan sighed, looked down, and then asked, "How's the arm?"

"Still broken," Matt answered, "I'll be seeing the Eyrie Building's medical teams for the next eight weeks. Maybe longer."

"If Margot was still alive, she would probably be willing to sue Xanatos for faulty craftsmanship in construction," Brendan chuckled.

Matt chuckled.

**Castle Wyvern's Dungeon, After Dusk**

Elisa slowly walked into the dungeon. Owen had told the clan of his discussion with Demona. Goliath had told her specifically of his conversation with Demona. Both Owen and Goliath were strongly opposed to her coming down here to guard her, but Elisa told them that perhaps a "person" in the same boat as Demona could help her.

"I suppose you're here to torment me too?" Demona growled.

"I'm here to talk," Elisa sighed, "You need to talk to somebody."

"I don't want to talk to you," Demona growled.

Elisa sighed, "Come on. We're both in the same boat. I'm-"

"We are not in 'the same boat'," Demona growled angrily, "You stole my mate from me and was given the gift of being a gargoyle. Neither of which you deserve. I am cursed to be a pathetic human for the rest of my IMMORTAL life."

"A gift? The Mage jumped out of nowhere and changed me," Elisa answered, "I didn't ask him to turn me into a gargoyle. As for steeling Goliath from you, I'm sorry, but I think you drove him away the instant you admitted your own betrayal."

Demona paused.

"Also Demona, this is no real cakewalk for me either," Elisa added, "I'll admit it's nice to be a gargoyle and to be with Goliath every night, but have you looked past the nose of your own face to see what I've lost? I've lost my humanity, which means I can't just walk into a shop and buy anything. I've lost my family in a certain sense, because now I can only see my folks and Derek at night. Not because it's easier for them to hide from others, but because that's the only time when I'm awake. I hardly ever saw my sister even when I was human. Do you think it's going to be easier now that I'm a gargoyle? I've lost my job because every gargoyle in the US isn't considered a citizen, and therefore can't hold a job."

Demona only stared.

"From what Goliath and Owen have told me, you've only looked at what's happened to you," Elisa continued, "Life has its consequences. I can live with it all. You say you have no purpose. Was it a purpose really worth living for? Is it so important to hate me for loving Goliath? Is it so important to hate him for loving me in return?"

"He was my mate long before you were born," Demona answered.

"And therefore, I'm supposed to let you have him to yourself, even though he's rejected you?" Elisa asked.

"YES!" Demona snarled, "Gargoyles mate for life! Even though Goliath and I have our differences, we are mates for life!"

"The clan considers their great one thousand year sleep to be a sort of death," Elisa retorted, "The clan you betrayed. You made a series of bad choices, Demona. On top of all this, you made them all in a row. You will never get Goliath back, but if you made different choices, you might not ever have lost him."

Demona only looked down; she growled angrily, "How can you do this? How can you make me think that that this is my fault? What magic are you using?"

"It never is your fault is it? Maybe I can make you feel guilty because I was there to make your decisions for you," Elisa answered, "I was never there to betray the clan to the Vikings. I was never there to scratch some kid across his face when he caught me in his family's barn. I was never there to betray Macbeth after he made me his chief advisor. I was never there to kill someone in front of his three children."

Demona didn't answer.

"Also Demona, I'm not doing any magic," Elisa continued, "I can't do magic. I know as much about magic as a rock knows about anything. The guilt you feel is your own."

"You don't know what it's like to be there," Demona snarled weakly, "You didn't see the worst of humanity."

"Do you know my ancestry Demona?" Elisa asked.

"What?"

"Do you know my ancestry?" Elisa repeated.

"No."

"I'm half African American and half Native American," Elisa answered, "I'm descended from two peoples who have suffered greatly at the hands of those in power. I never saw it, but you can believe me I heard stories. My mom is descended from SLAVES, Demona. There is a long history that goes back to the 1700s were my mother's ancestor was taken from Africa and brought here in chains. That ancestor and others from the same tribe fought silently for centuries to keep their tribal traditions alive. Then after years of being whipped, tortured, starved, diseased, and shot at, the slaves were free. But free from only slavery. Whites still lynched and murdered in the south. Whites created the "Jim Crowe" laws of "separate but equal". And you know what Demona; blacks are still struggling today for full fledged equality in many places."

Demona starred at her.

"Native Americans haven't had it any better," Elisa continued, "They were here before the Whites came, and quite sadly the first thing many whites did when they saw an "Indian" was to shoot him. Native Americans live in small reservations today, and their culture struggles to survive. There's no land to hunt traditionally. The land they're on isn't the best land to live on."

"Mankind has done far worse," Demona answered, "Gargoyles have practically been hunted into extinction. I've seen what they do in the name of racial purity!"

"Did you ever go to Auschwitz-Birkenau, Chelmno, Treblinka, Dachau, and Buchenwald when they were in service?" Elisa asked.

"I was in Sweden during the entire Second World War," Demona answered, "There was rumored to be a clan of gargoyles there that would support me."

"I had a history teacher in high school who was a holocaust survivor," Elisa answered, "The holocaust was a big subject with him, not because he liked it, but because he said that 'if we don't listen to the ghosts of the past, we won't here the ghosts of the present'. He had us focus on the holocaust because he was determined that we would never allow that to happen again. He's told stories of the Nazis gassing his friends, burning their bodies, infecting them with typhus, experimenting on them. He even had a friend who reported to War Crimes tribunals that the Nazis skinned human beings and used the skin to make book covers! And you know what else, he can't forget that. The number the Nazis burned into his arm is still there. From what I've learned, the worst things humanity has done, he has done to his own kind."

"What Hitler did is nothing compared to what humans have done to gargoyles," Demona replied, "And the Spanish Inquisition killed a large number of gargoyles because we were either 'demons' or 'heretics'."

"Death is death, Demona," Elisa said, "We were told that we don't know the worst of humanity until we've seen it. I know you've seen evil Demona. I know you are evil. But you look for everyone else's evil and never look at the evil you cause! From what the clan has told me from what they've heard from you is that humans never went as far as to set up 'death camps' for gargoyles, or use our skin to make books, or intentionally infect us with deadly diseases. Clans have been destroyed, yes. But not in the fashion that Hitler attacked the Jews. Not with the racist attitudes of the 'Jim Crowe' era. Gargoyle clans were destroyed out of fear. Your revenge will never bring the dead gargoyles back just as my teacher can never get his friends back. Can't you see someone's suffering besides your own?"

"You say death is death," Demona snarled, "Are six million Jews more important than all the dead gargoyles in the world?"

"Are all the dead gargoyles more important than the six million Jews?" Elisa answered back, "Because that's the way you've treated it. You see suffering, but since it's not gargoyles it's not wrong. Both the dead gargoyles and the six million Jews need to mourned together."

"So what am I to do, wise one?" Demona cried back, "If suffering is universal and everyone's suffering is worth paying attention to, how am I to live? How am I to make humans feel sorry for destroying my clan? How am I to make them feel sorry for everything they've done to my kind?"

"First of all, you can't 'make them feel sorry'," Elisa answered, "Hitler wanted to make the Jews feel sorry, and all he caused was suffering. Humanity today will also never assume guilt for something done a thousand years ago!"

Demona remained still.

"Second, you need to admit your own guilt," Elisa continued, "If not to the world, than at least to yourself. You can't blame others for things you did."

Demona said nothing.

"Third, you must admit that gargoyles can never and will never rule the world," Elisa finished, "There are just too few gargoyles world wide for us to ever gain the image of a respectable leader to everyone. Any world rule by a gargoyle would have to be a tyranny in order for the gargoyle to remain a leader. And that is something that I don't want, and I'm pretty sure Goliath doesn't want it either!"

"Gargoyles must rule!" Demona protested, "It is the only way that we can gain the rights we need. Even if it means killing every human on the planet!"

"Demona, you're complaining about having no purpose now because you're human and anything you do to destroy humanity will destroy you," Elisa countered, "What will be different if you were successful? What if all the humans were gone? You'd have no purpose because now there are no humans to kill, and our clan would shun you. Is that really what you want?"

"No," Demona sighed looking down, and suddenly began sobbing, "I just want my old body back. I want to be a gargoyle again. I want a purpose. I'll do anything to become a gargoyle again, even if it means allying with the humans."

"It's a start," Elisa answered.

Elisa remained on guard till well after midnight, when Lexington came to take his shift. Demona strangely remained quiet. However, that wasn't Elisa's concern. Guarding Demona was a job that came with being a gargoyle. Being Goliath's mate. Being part of his clan. What Elisa was concerned about was her sister's graduation. She still had to call her folks.

**Peter and Diane Maza's Apartment**

The phone rang six times before Peter answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey dad, it's me," came Elisa's voice, "I talked it over with Xanatos. He is willing to fly Goliath, Derek, Maggie, and I out there and back. If you want to join us that'd be fine too. Beth graduates on the weekend right?"

"Yes, in two days actually," Peter answered.

"Good, Xanatos's flight leaves tomorrow morning at ten AM," Elisa announced, "Goliath and I will already be on the plane."

"Thanks Elisa," Peter said, "I'll call Derek and Maggie. They'll probably meet you there."

**JFK International Airport, Next Day**

Diane and Peter Maza were greeted by Owen Burnett as they arrived at the gate.

"Good morning Mr. Maza, Mrs. Maza," Owen said, "Goliath and the others are waiting for you. If you'll follow me."

Owen led them through the standard safety check points. They soon arrived outside gate. It was a relatively small airline, and Owen preceded them onboard. The inside of the plane was quite different from anything Peter and Diane had ever been on. There were wide couches on the sides of the plane and a large open central space. Strapped in place and covered in protective padding stood the two stone statues of Goliath and Elisa. Talon and Maggie sat on one of the two couches. Peter and Diane sat on the one opposite them.

"They look like they're Beth's graduation gifts," Talon chuckled.

"Mister Xanatos took the utmost precautions to make sure that neither of them are damaged between takeoff and landing," Owen said dryly.

Owen motioned Peter and Diane to strap themselves in, and prepare for take off. Once they were, Owen disappeared into the plane's cockpit.

"He's coming with us?" Peter asked.

"Owen will be supervising the flight out and the flight back," Talon answered, "Nothing serious. I hope."

**Flagstaff, Arizona**

Beth stuffed the last stack of books into a box as someone knocked at her door. She looked up as someone knocked again. The knocking became persistent as Beth began to walk to the door.

"Hold your horses, I'm coming," Beth yelled at the door.

She didn't even reach the door; Coyote suddenly stepped through the door and grabbed her in a hug.

"Hey how's it going?" Coyote asked.

"Coyote? What are you doing here?" Beth stammered.

"You were expecting the robot?" Coyote asked, "I heard you were graduating soon, and I decided to congratulate you."

"Uh, thanks," Beth sighed, "I was actually expecting my mom and dad. Their flight from New York will be arriving sooner or later."

"Ahh, I haven't seen them for a few days," Coyote mused, "I wonder if they've changed?"

"You saw them recently?" Beth asked.

"Yeah, had to help them get over what happened to Elisa," Coyote sighed, "You want anything while I'm here?"

Coyote waved his arms and the boxes began to fly around the room.

"I can help you pack," Coyote said.

"Put those down! My roommate will be back any minute," Beth yelled, "If you want to hang out that's fine! Nothing weird."

"You're no fun," Coyote complained in a fake hurt tone.

"We can have fun later," Beth answered, "If I don't get to the airport in time to meet mom and dad, I'm in big trouble."

Coyote snapped his fingers, and said, "Teleport."

There was a flash of light, and suddenly Beth found herself at the gate in which she'd been told to meet her folks. No one else was there.

"Where is everybody?" Beth asked.

"Your folks, your brother and sister, and your 'in-laws' are the only passengers on the plane," Coyote said, "Why would anyone else be here?"

"Do you get tired of doing that?" Beth asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Doing what?" Coyote asked back.

"What you do? That fey stuff," Beth answered.

"Oh that," Coyote replied, faking ignorance, "No. It's actually quite fun to be able to leave Avalon now. Not that Avalon is bad, but this are is like home to me."

The plane arrived more than an hour latter, and Beth was beginning to get board with Coyote's jokes. Everyone seemed happy to see her, although both Talon and Maggie remained nervous. Peter took a quick glance at Coyote, who lounged in a nearby chair.

"Thanks for helping us with Elisa," Peter said.

Coyote looked up, "What? She's still on the plane?"

"Thanks for helping us begin accept what happened to Elisa," Peter said more clearly.

"Ah, no problem there Peter," Coyote said, "I promised to look out for you, and that's what I did."

"Who are you?" Maggie asked.

"Didn't Peter or Elisa tell you about me?" Coyote exclaimed, "I'm Kachina Coyote. You're Talon's wife, yes? Then by the laws of marriage, I guess I gotta guard you too!"

"He's a fey isn't he?" Talon demanded to Peter.

"That I am," Coyote answered, "But I'm on your side."

Coyote then smiled, "Now I believe someone is graduating tomorrow, and you are all tired from your flight. Well, except for Goliath and Elisa who slept the whole way!"

The day passed slowly. It took forever to get Talon and Maggie out of the airport without being noticed and to a safe location. Coyote merely transported Goliath and Elisa with them. Settling into a hotel was nervous for Peter and Diane. Especially since Coyote left Goliath and Elisa's stone statues with them.

"I hope the walls are thick," Peter commented, "When they awake, they'll roar, and I'm pretty sure it would scare anyone else here."

"I'm more worried about where Coyote went with our daughter," Diane grumbled, "Grandchildren are grandchildren, but I don't want anymore with wings."

"He hasn't gone that far, yet," Peter sighed.

"What if he does?" Diane demanded.

"We'll have to get used to it if Beth decides she likes Coyote," Peter answered, "Or else he take on another trip to show how right it was for them to be together. Besides it's not like we can stop him."

"I need to lie down," Diane muttered.

Night went a bit easier. Goliath and Elisa awakened to give Beth their congratulations and catch up on things. Beth seemed to be greatly interested in the battles with the Mage. Coyote remained absent largely, but around ten Peter and Diane went to bed. Elisa and Goliath went to patrol for crime. Talon and Maggie returned to their hiding place to get some rest as well.

The next morning Beth found herself walking amongst thousands of other college students awaiting their diploma. The ceremony was being held on the campus's football field. As with most graduation ceremonies, it went longer than expected. Beth saw her parents in the stands and she smiled. As she took her diploma, she looked out to the far wall of the stadium, she noticed five figures. Perched there for the day were the stone statues of Goliath and Elisa. Standing beside them, and were Talon and Maggie. Then standing between Goliath and Elisa, and actually leaning casually on Elisa's statue, was Coyote. Beth smiled again.

"Well," she thought to herself, "I guess it's time for me to make something for myself."

The post graduation party that night wasn't really a big thing. Beth's roommate was there to share in the festivities.

"So where's your family?" her roommate asked.

"Um, um," Beth started.

"They're right over there," came Coyote's voice.

"Who are you?" asked the roommate.

"I'm Coyote," Coyote answered, "I like to think of myself as Beth's friend."

Beth looked over in the direction at which Coyote had pointed. There she saw Goliath, Elisa, Talon, and Maggie, all standing quietly in a corner. Diane and Peter weren't far away from them.

"It's an illusion spell," Coyote said, "Every human that enters the room but you and your parents will see Goliath's human form, and the forms that Maggie Reed and your brother and sister had when they were human. That's why they're in that corner. The people here see humans, but the two gargoyles and mutates are still there."

"Someone could bump into their wings?" Beth asked.

"Or trip on Goliath or Elisa's tail," Coyote added.

"Why are you still here?" Beth asked.

"Well, uh, I, uh," Coyote stuttered.

"Are you trying to ask me out?" Beth questioned with a skeptically raised eyebrow.

"Sure why not?" Coyote asked.

"Why?"

"You guessed who I was before anyone else did," Coyote answered, "Plus I think you're kind of cute. Another thing is that every Child of Oberon is in fact a CHILD of Oberon. Puck, Raven, Grandmother, the Weird Sisters, Odin, and Anubis are all my brothers and sisters. There are no fey that I'm not related to that I can date."

"The trickster is lonely," Beth sighed.

"The trickster is asking for dinner, a movie, and maybe I could show you my favorite prank telephone calls," Coyote offered.

"It's a date, tomorrow at six then maybe?" Beth answered.

"Tomorrow at six," Coyote affirmed.

Across the room Peter sighed heavily. He sighed even harder when he heard a slight chuckle come from Diane.

"What?" Peter asked.

"Two things actually," Diane answered, "One, at least Coyote asked permission to date Beth."

"What's the other thing?" Peter asked.

"When he asked he reminded me about how often I've said that they need to get back to their roots," Diane replied, "I find it somewhat ironic though that all of our children are going back to someone's roots. Derek, except for his wings, looks like the werepanthers I met in Africa. Elisa's been living the way Goliath and his clan lives. Maybe by dating Coyote, Beth is getting back to your roots."

"Life is just getting too weird, Diane," Peter sighed again, "Life is getting too weird."

"Cheer up, dad," Elisa offered from Goliath's side, "Coyote doesn't have wings!"

"I'm going to visit my father," Peter sighed.

**The End**

**Epilogue**

Peter, Diane, Goliath, Elisa, Talon and Maggie departed the next day. Beth and Coyote waved goodbye from the terminal, and then left for her new home on the outskirts of the city. It was a quiet ranch house that wasn't too far away from where the nearby reservation was. Days past peacefully for Beth. Coyote never seemed to be far away, but Beth assumed that he either went to and fro from Avalon to Flagstaff or just ran with the real coyotes in the desert. Beth also found something useful to do with her life. She found employment as a medical assistant at the reservation's local family practice. Life was good. Despite having a mutate brother, gargoyle sister, fey boyfriend and two stressed out parents!


End file.
